Albus Dumbledore stared at the closed door of his office for several long minutes. How was it that in the space of a mere hour all his plans, plans that had been years in crafting and perfecting could be destroyed? He didn't know what to think, firstly there had been the revelation that the horcrux had been destroyed, Harry no longer tethered Voldemort to life, and then the shock of the unbreakable vow and the impact of Sirius's willingness to do everything in his considerable power to limit his access to Harry.
If it had been any other man Dumbledore would have pushed aside any suggestion that they could outsmart him, could trap him but not Sirius, not any longer. He had underestimated Sirius once and he had paid the price when the man had succeeded in doing the one thing so many of his enemies, both political and on the battlefield had failed to do, namely to trap him. It was not something he intended to repeat, he would not underestimate Sirius Black again.
Discover moreMobile fanfiction appFan fiction platformBooks & LiteratureFan fiction communityRegular storiesThe Black Lord was many things. Dumbledore knew that despite the prankster he had been in his Hogwarts days Black was clever. He had achieved outstanding NEWT's, particularly in Defence and Transfiguration and both he and James had gone on to be the youngest Hit-Wizards in the Auror Corps and as a pair they still held the record for the highest number of takedown's in a single year. That brought him to the second point, Black was more than a competent fighter, and whilst Dumbledore knew his years in Azkaban would have eroded his physical strength, his mind and abilities remained clear, and he had no doubt that since his escape Black had been building himself up and he would soon be back to his old strength and fitness.
It made him dangerous. Black had both the power and mind to pose a threat, and with the libraries of both the Black and Potter families at his disposal he also had the information and knowledge if he needed it. Azkaban had changed him, whilst Sirius still had the hints of the rashness that had led to his incarceration; he was not the same man that had fought in the first war. Dumbledore realised now that he had lost all the trust of Black and he was unlikely to regain it. Sirius had become ruthless, dealing with any threat to Harry, quickly and efficiently and he knew that the man would not allow anything to harm his son.
It was one of the few thoughts that gave him hope. Everything that Black had done, and everything that Black was planning was motivated by the huge, overwhelming love he had for his son. Azkaban might have hardened him and bred in him a stringent distrust for the authority figures in their world but his devotion to the child remained absolute, Black would do anything for Harry. It both frightened him and strengthened him. Sirius would not turn Dark while that love remained, it was not possible to love somebody that deeply and be Dark, as the Dark fed of hate and rage and love was a poison to it, and from everything he had observed he knew that Sirius would always love his son. But that love frightened him also, Sirius now viewed him as an enemy and in response to the protectiveness that stemmed from that love, he would do everything to remove the threat.
Discover moreAnime & MangaAnimeComicsCreative writing coursesFan fiction booksThe unbreakable vow had only been the first part and Albus was well aware of this. It would stop him, curtail his activities when it came to Harry but he would work around it and he was sure his nimble mind would come up with several ideas soon but it would never be a long term solution in Sirius's eyes. The wording had been clever, and it would stop him from ever trying to hurt or sacrifice Harry, but the main difficulty was trying to get around the second vow, namely not to interact with Harry outside of his duties as Headmaster without Sirius's permission.
Of course he could try to obtain the man's permission but he was not a fool and he knew that Sirius would not give it to him, or at the very least he would only agree under stringent conditions, and one of them was likely to be that he was present and that he showed Sirius what he wanted to do ahead of time. It was not something he could share with the man and it was not conductive for trying to train the boy but at the moment there were no other options, however he did have time to think and to try to work out how to train Harry without breaking the vow, whilst watching for whatever scheme Sirius had in place to try to ensure he would never be a threat again.
The other main issue he had to face was his plan to deal with Voldemort. Some aspects remained unchanged, he was still going to track down all of Tom's horcruxes and he would teach Harry once he could find a way around the vow, but others would have to change drastically. Already he was considering how to train Harry to fight Tom, because without the horcrux the prophecy had become a lot more woolly, particularly the last line. If Harry didn't have to die, did that mean it was certain that he would be the one to kill Tom, or was it something else entirely, something that he had overlooked?
Albus Dumbledore didn't know and that disquieted him. He was accustomed to having all the necessary information, or at the very least a plan to obtain the information and every plan had been made and finalised to the minuitest detail years in advance. Of course unexpected events did crop up – the chamber was a prime example – but he could usually turn those situations to his advantage, however he was now working in the dark and that thought scared him.
Forcefully he pushed that thought from his mind. He was Albus Dumbledore, Leader of the Light, he would come up with a solution, with a plan because he had to. He would not the Wizarding World fall no matter what had to be sacrificed in the process, and to hell with Sirius Black and the unbreakable vow. He would not fail, he couldn't fail anyone again.
Sirius leant back into his armchair and let out a sigh. Harry had gone back to sleep a few minutes ago, and while he would have let him go back to the dorm if he had wanted to, Poppy had pronounced him completely fit a few hours previously, he was much happier knowing his son was safe in his room, and that he would only be a few seconds away if he was needed.
Harry might have been good at hiding his feelings from most of the world but Sirius knew that the revelation that Dumbledore had been training him to be a martyr had shocked his son to the core. Harry's trust, already shaky due to his experiences at the hands of the Dursleys had just received another blow and Sirius wasn't sure that the child would ever give more than a few people his complete trust and he was certain that Dumbledore wouldn't regain the trust he had lost. He knew that at the moment he was the only adult Harry trusted and that it was likely it would remain that way for some time yet.
Discover moreWriting forum accessApp download campaignsCookiesFiction writing guidesCrossover storiesHis child had been quiet for the rest of the afternoon, playing chess half-heartedly and he had immediately shot down any suggestion that Hermione and Ron might visit. Sirius hadn't pushed him, knowing that Harry needed time to digest and come to terms with what Dumbledore had planned for him, and he knew that he could do nothing more than reassure his son that he was safe, and be there when Harry needed him.
He felt anger bubble up in his gut. Harry had been recovering, learning to trust again and it hadn't been easy, and now Dumbledore's plans had destroyed some of the fragile progress that had been made. He knew that his son trusted and loved him and he was humbled that he had managed to gain that trust and at the same time he vowed that he would never do anything to break that trust. Restless feet pulled him to Harry's bedroom door, and he slipped in, sinking down onto the chair beside the bed, his hand instinctively reaching out and burying itself in Harry's hair.
His child looked so much younger when he slept, and he could see the vulnerability and fragility that Harry could conceal when he was awake writ large across his features. Sirius stroked his fingers through the messy black hair, a gesture which was calming to both himself and Harry. His son had seen too much, experienced too much in his short life and part of Sirius acknowledged that Harry had seen too much to be considered a child, but he was also aware that he was also in desperate need of the love and security of a parent to support him. Poppy was right, he had been alone far too long, but Sirius swore to himself that no matter what the future would bring he would be there for Harry and he would protect him, and speaking of protecting...
Dumbledore was becoming a problem, scratch that, he had been a problem for a long time but he was now a danger. He had lost the element of surprise with the unbreakable vow, and while he knew it was necessary it also meant that he would have to move fast and he would have to be a lot more subtle about his plans as he knew that the man would be on the lookout for any schemes that he could try to pull.
To Sirius's mind there was only one option left, he needed to remove Dumbledore, but he also needed to do it in such a way that would enable him to have access to the information the old meddler had been squirreling away all these years. The revelation that he had known that Harry had been a horcrux indicated that he knew a lot about Voldemort and what he had done to survive, and Sirius knew that in order to remove that threat he would need the man's expertise, but not in a place where he could have access to Harry.
That left one solution, he needed to remove Dumbledore as Headmaster and ensure that school was passed to somebody he trusted and didn't end up in the hands of the ministry as he didn't trust that idiot Fudge as far as he could throw him. Out of those two aims he somehow thought the first would be easier, especially as the ministry was a corrupt power-grubbing institution and would not leave Hogwarts alone once they had any sort of influence there, the Board of Governers was just one example.
As he thought about it he realised he could start the process of removing Dumbledore right now, and he could begin to lay the groundwork. He knew it had to be done in such a way as to ensure that the school didn't fall to the ministry, which meant they could not be involved in any way, shape or form and he would have to be discreet. He puzzled over it for several moments before the first part of the solution occurred to him.
He needed to gradually sow the seeds of doubt about Dumbledore, not destroying his myth, it was too strong for him to do so covertly and any open action would alert the ministry, but by highlighting the mistakes he had made, portraying him as a hero of the light that had done his duty to the Wizarding World and had sacrificed the majority of his life to that goal and was now deserving of rest and retirement, letting his chosen – in reality Sirius's – deputy take over in his place. The trick would be to make it appear that it was the idea of the public and when it came it would be hard for Dumbledore to resist the people who would not take no for an answer.
It would require a lot of careful publicity, and Sirius was suddenly thankful that he owned a majority share in the Daily Prophet, using his connections there he could begin to write articles to that affect, maybe publish a book on the life of Albus Dumbledore, showing how he had done his duty to the Wizarding World and he deserved his rest. Sirius thought he could give that project to Remus, the man had always been the best writer and researcher of the Marauders and he knew that Remus had problems holding a job. This opportunity would allow him to ensure his friend had enough to support himself and it would allow that portion of his scheme to be carried out without his input, making it easier to avoid rousing the old man's suspicions.
The second thing he needed was allies. As much as he loathed the idea, he knew that this was a battle he couldn't fight alone. He needed somebody competent to take over the reins at Hogwarts once Dumbledore was removed and he knew that he wasn't qualified for the job. He also needed allies on the political front, so that when the coup came he wasn't faced with strong opposition from the ministry or a power grab.
Mentally he started flicking through names, Remus would be ideal on the research and more covert operations branches but he wouldn't be suited for the political battles or the Headmaster position simply because the prejudice in the magical world was so strong. Out of the Hogwarts Professors Minerva showed potential, she had apologised and her experience regarding the Dursleys had opened her eyes to some of the mistakes Dumbledore had already made, and Pomora, Poppy and Flitwick could probably be convinced although he would have to sound them out carefully.
The political front would be a bit harder, he had the Black seat and was proxy for the Potter seat but the first time he could attend would be in the Easter Session, and then the summer would be upon them and he really didn't want to leave it that long as ideally he wanted Dumbledore out by early next year. Pursing his lips he considered who might make alliances, he might be able to get the support of some of the purebloods and as much as he detested them, he knew they would support him if it meant that they could remove Dumbledore but the problem came when he needed to ensure that they didn't get their claws into Hogwarts either. Some of the Light Families would also ally with House Potter, Augusta Longbottom for example was a formidable politician, but many would be leery of Sirius, purely because of his family and the accusations.
Amelia Bones would be someone he wanted to get on his side. The way she had handled his case showed him clearly that she believed in justice and wasn't about to take stick from anyone, and would resist being manipulated with everything she had. Unfortunately though it meant it was unlikely she would become part of his schemes without him explaining precisely why he had decided to take this path, although she would probably support his proposals as long as they were just and fair.
That left the neutrals. It certainly had its possibilities, they would listen to his arguments and he thought many believed that Dumbledore had too much power. He nodded to himself, he would approach some of the neutrals and the more tolerant Light Families, although he would approach the light from the Potter angle and the neutrals from the Black and Potter seats.
That decided Sirius felt his eyes drift down to gaze on the peaceful face of his child, fierce loving welling up in his heart. He would do anything for his son. He stroked his fingers through the boy's messy hair once more before pressing a kiss to his son's forehead and quietly exiting the room. He wanted nothing more than to stay with his son but he knew in order to ensure that his child would be protected he had to act, and he had promised to explain to Remus precisely what was going on.
A floo call and a few minutes later, the rumpled form of Remus Lupin stepped through the fireplace and sank into the offered armchair gratefully. Surveying his friend with a critical eye, Sirius noticed that the man's robes looked more patched than they had even a few months before and he was suddenly very glad that he was going to offer his friend a proper job. Remus had a tough time getting work due to his 'little furry problem' and he didn't want to lose another friend simply because he couldn't get enough money to feed himself adequately.
"What's all this about Sirius," Remus asked, as he settled himself down comfortably, the full moon had been the previous night and his sore bones were grateful for the comfort. "I got the rushed explanation when you dragged me out here to be bonder but I'd prefer a full one if you don't mind." The half exasperated, half amused tone that the words were spoken in was classic Moony and Sirius could clearly remember when that voice had been used on both himself and James, usually when they were planning some elaborate scheme that would inevitably end in detention.
For a moment he allowed himself to remember but he quickly pulled himself out of it, tonight was not a time for reminiscing, but rather he needed to make Remus understand and bring him on board. Quickly, but this time sparing no details he told his old friend precisely what had led up to the confrontation and why he had been summoned to act as a bonder and what he now wanted him to do.
To his credit Remus only interrupted twice, first when Sirius went into detail about the adoption, to convey his congratulations and his pleasure at that development, expressing how good he thought it was for both Sirius and Harry, and secondly when Sirius told him of what Dumbledore had been planning for Harry. Rage and shock competed in Remus's face and for a second Sirius saw the wolf take control as Remus's eyes flashed amber but a second later the werewolf had regained control.
"He was planning to what?" He finally gasped out.
"You heard me," Sirius replied his voice grim, "He was training Harry to a martyr for the Wizarding World, and he was going to make sure Harry died at Voldemort's hand."
Remus shook his head slowly, trying to digest the information. "It's hard to believe," he said slowly, "He's the man I looked up to more than any other, he gave me a chance when nobody else would, and to hear he has been trying to do something so despicable..." He trailed off, shock and no small hint of anger dominating his features.
"But you don't need to worry Padfoot, the cub comes first and he will always come first and if we are able to get rid of that dark bastard who murdered Lily and James at the same time I'm in with whatever hare-brained scheme you've thought up this time." A slight smirk with the last words took any sting off the teasing, but the fierceness in his voice told Sirius that he had an invaluable ally, not that he had really expected differently from his old friend.
"I'm glad you said that." Quickly Sirius outlined his proposal but when he came to the issue of paying him Remus baulked.
"No Remus," Sirius said firmly, cutting him off when he started to repeat himself. "You'll be working hard for this, researching and trying to follow up leads, writing articles, dealing with the Daily Prophet and Rita Skeeter, a task I wouldn't wish on anyone as well as trying to come up with some sensible solutions for Hogwarts, finding a way to ensure that Dumbledore can't interfere once he is removed and trying to chase down and research horcruxes. That's more work that most paying jobs would have you doing so you certainly won't have time to work, so it only stands to reason that I pay you."
The werewolf started to object once more, and finally fed up Sirius broke in.
"Look Moony, you agreed you'd do the work – I've got the Black fortune, plus the hefty sum those idiots paid me as compensation for Azkaban and I'm going to pay you whether you like it or not and you can't tell me that James wouldn't have done the exact same thing. It's not charity, you'll bloody well earn every single knut twice over so stop objecting and accept it."
One glance at Sirius's face told Remus Lupin that his friend was not going to budge a single inch and reluctantly he agreed. He hated charity, his pride was one of the few things the wizarding world couldn't take from him, but if he was honest with himself he knew that the money would be more than welcome and that he probably would earn every single knut, particularly as they were going up against Dumbledore of all people.
For a few more minutes they discussed the precise details, where would be good places to start, what issues took greater priority and the things that needed to be done quickly and the articles that Sirius wanted published within the term. But soon their conversation returned to other matters, the history that the castle walls held for both of them, Harry and their plans for the summer.
It was getting late when Remus finally stood to leave, "Take care of yourself Padfoot, I know you'll do everything you can to care for Harry but don't sacrifice yourself to do it. Harry needs his father whole and healthy."
Sirius's throat was suspiciously tight as he answered, "I don't want to fail him again Moony."
"And you won't Sirius," Remus told him firmly, "You love him too much to ever fail him, but I meant it, he needs you healthy, you mean so much to him it would hurt him badly if you were hurt." Sirius blinked back the moisture threatening his eyes.
"I know," he said thickly, "And I won't do anything to hurt him." Remus smiled at him and clasped his shoulder with one firm hand before stepping into the floo and vanishing, leaving a thoughtful Sirius Black behind.
Harry woke the next morning feeling much better than he had the previous day. He wasn't looking forward to facing the school again, he might have won the task but he was aware that everyone would have seen how badly he was injured and the rumour mill would have been running a full tilt. Not to mention he wasn't sure how he would deal with returning to the life of the school and having to see Dumbledore again when he knew precisely what the man had been planning.
It perplexed him that somebody who had been nothing but kind to him, and had listened to him when no other adult had, had been at the selfsame time planning his death and how best to sacrifice him. He didn't give out his trust easily and before he had met Sirius he had trusted the man more than he had trusted any other adult, perhaps with the exception of Hagrid and Remus and to find this out had left him feeling betrayed in the worst way possible. It didn't seem real but he knew his father would never lie to him, and he had seen how upset Sirius had been.
The revelation felt somehow worse for the position Dumbledore had taken in his life. He had been the kind, wise Grandfather figure who would always do what was best, and that was what he was supposed to do. With his Uncle and Aunt he had known that he could never trust them, he had know that they would try to hurt and trick him, and often they would manage to harm him and sometimes badly, but the Headmaster hadn't been supposed to betray his trust, he had supposed to be one of the few adults who would listen and not hurt him when really he had been as bad as his Uncle.
To Harry his crime was worse, he hadn't had the decency to show what he really was, not like his Uncle or even Snape. He knew what to expect from them, they didn't hide and he could be on his guard and he could protect himself, or at least try to but Dumbledore had hidden and therefore made it so that he couldn't even try to resist. It wasn't right, people should be honest, and they shouldn't hide and pretend to care when they felt the opposite, all it did was destroy any trust or relationship when it was discovered.
A gentle hand on his shoulder made him look up, straight into the grey eyes of his father that were shining down on him full of concern. He saw that Sirius's clothes were crumpled, a clear sign that he had slept in them, and a glance to the side revealed a discarded blanket draped over the side of the chair beside his bed. He felt a surge of gratitude well up inside him as he realised that his father had stayed with him all night.
Surprising even himself Harry threw himself forward, wrapping his arms around his father and clinging on desperately. In the next instant he felt Sirius return the embrace even as the man pulled him gently onto his lap and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "What is it pup?" he murmured, just as surprised as Harry at the teen's sudden movement.
Harry didn't know how to answer, part of him had just wanted the comfort of knowing his father was there, that he hadn't abandoned or betrayed him and that he never would, part of him was trying to show how happy he was that Sirius cared and loved him enough to stay with him and always be there and some of it was just because he was upset and confused and he just wanted, no matter how childish it was, to be held by his father and be promised that everything would be alright.
When he didn't answer he heard his father sigh softly, "It's alright to need comfort sometimes," Sirius said quietly, "The number of times I have ranted at Remus because I couldn't keep the emotions bottled up, or that I have come to check on you at night just because I need to reassure myself that you are here and safe are too many to count. I know you are still stewing over Dumbledore pup, and I wish I could give you some answers but the truth is that I don't really understand myself, all I can do is make sure you are safe."
Harry smiled slightly and leant back against his father's chest. He didn't know how Sirius was able to understand what he was feeling and where his father go the ability to cheer him up or calm him down with just a few words but he was thankful he could. "Thanks Dad," he whispered and in response he felt his father kiss his forehead. It would have been a suitable time to move off Sirius's lap, but Harry was far too comfortable where he was and nobody else could see him so he was completely content to remain curled up in Sirius's lap and tucked into his father's embrace.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying a time when there were no demands on either of them, but Sirius eventually spoke. "I think we ought to continue the training sessions we had for the second task pup." Harry looked up, a hint of confusion in his eyes, they hadn't been given any clues about the third task so how were they supposed to practice?
"I know we don't have any information Harry," Sirius told him softly, "But the time would still be useful, we can do some more work on your animagus form, to see if you can master it before then and I want to do some work on controlling the ambient magic with you, if you know how to control it, you will have a measure of protection that will be helpful no matter what the third task is and we could also practice a few spells, it wouldn't hurt to improve your repertoire."
Harry considered it for a moment before nodded. It certainly sounded like a good plan and he looked forward to being able to change into his wolf at will, and to be able to keep Remus company when he came over to spend the full moon on Black Island. There was just one issue, "Can we invite Ron and Hermione to the animagus lessons Dad? I was learning with them and it wouldn't be fair to keep them out of it."
"Of course," Sirius answered instantly, "I was a fool to forget that you would want to include your friends, but it wouldn't be sensible if they joined us for the control lessons." Harry agreed easily, it was nice to include his friends in the animagus training but the control lessons were a different story. Although he knew it wouldn't matter if he struggled and made a fool of himself in front of them the ambient magic was something special to him, it was the proof he was really Sirius's son now and no matter how silly it seemed, he wasn't willing to share that with anyone else, it was something that he could do with his father that would be a family thing.
His attention was pulled from his thoughts when he heard his father sigh, "As much as I'd like to stay here, I think we're expected at breakfast pup." Harry pulled a face and reluctantly slipped of Sirius's lap and hurried to get changed. Now that he thought about it he was starving and he knew it would be nice to see his friends again as he was uncomfortably aware that he basically ignored them for the past two days and he was feeling a little guilty.
A minute or two later he emerged from his bedroom to see his father waiting for him by the portrait hole. Harry started to open it but he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. "There's just something I need you to promise me," Sirius said, his voice grave, "I need you to promise that you will not go to Dumbledore's office or answer any summons from the Headmaster alone. If he asks for you, for any reason at all, I need you to ask for me and to refuse to cooperate until I am there, and that goes for any situation where you are alone with him."
Grey eyes regarded him steadily, conveying the seriousness of the request and Harry nodded instantly, "I promise Dad." Since the revelations about what his Headmaster had been planning he had been loath to spend any time with the man and it was a request that would be easy to honour. He saw the relief on his father's face and he felt a sudden flash of unease as he realised that Sirius didn't trust Dumbledore not to try anything despite the vow that bound him.
Sirius smiled at him, the expression lightening the darkness in his eyes and he reached out to ruffle Harry's hair affectionately. "Come on pup," he said quietly "I'm sure you want some food and your friends must be concerned about you." Harry felt guilt prickle in his stomach at the reminder but he didn't have time to dwell on it as they were soon heading briskly towards the Great Hall, his father lightening the mood by explaining one of the harmless pranks they had played on the Headmaster when they were at school.
Harry was chuckling at the image of Dumbledore in a bright pink ballet dress with his hair dyed neon green, just as his father had intended him to as they reached the Great Hall. Sirius squeezed his child's shoulders gently before giving him a slight push in the direction of the Gryffindor table and following him into the hall a few seconds later.
Harry had been preparing himself for a large reaction when he was noticed and he wasn't disappointed. When Fred and George spotted him they let out a huge cheer and the whole table followed suit the instant they caught sight of Harry. At the moment it didn't matter that he had been entered unwillingly, at that matter that he was a Gryffindor champion and after the second task he was leading by nearly 15 points.
Harry ducked his head, trying to prevent people from noticing the blush that was rapidly spreading across his face and hurried to the Gryffindor table, trying to ignore the applause and cheers. By Merlin, you would think he had won the bloody thing! Spotting Ron and Hermione he slipped into place beside them, his face flaming. Now he wasn't directly in most people's line of sight the cheering faded quickly as people returned to their previous activities, a process which was only speeded up as Sirius strode down the Hall towards the High Table.
The majority of the school loved the DADA professor, not only was he a good teacher who knew his subject, he was fair, he didn't set huge numbers of long essays, his lessons were interesting and he was always willing to give you a little extra help if you needed it. However it was well known that although he didn't shown favouritism in lessons, he was extremely protective of his godson and he didn't stand for anyone who played fan to the Boy-Who-Lived. Several of the Slytherine's and a few from the other houses had laughed about this, thinking that 'Prince Potter' would hate the fact that he couldn't bask in his fame anymore but they had been taken by surprise when they found that Harry seemed to prefer the new state of affairs.
Once everyone's attention had moved elsewhere Harry relaxed, helping himself to breakfast in the relative anonymity of his friend's company. They didn't pester him with questions, instead Hermione talked about the lessons they had that day and what he had managed to miss. Harry made a face when he realised that his enforced bed rest – while it had caught him up on his homework to that point – had left him with a whole day's work to catch up on.
By silent agreement the second task was not mentioned, and aside from the initial enquiries about whether he was alright, it was not until lessons were over and they were back in the Gryffindor Common Room working on a tricky essay for McGonagall that the subject was broached. "What happened mate?" Ron asked a little awkwardly, "I mean we all saw you collapse when you got out of the water and Madam Pomfrey seemed to be in a panic, and then visitors weren't allowed in the Wing and when we went to see you yesterday you were gone and all she said was that Sirius was looking after you."
Harry sighed and put aside his quill. He didn't intend to answer everyone's questions but Ron and Hermione were his friends and he could see the worry in their eyes, no matter how much they tried to hide it. "I got bitten quite badly by some water creature and there was venom in the bites. It took a long time to remove that and then to treat them, and to top it all I was exhausted. I spent the day on forced bed rest." His grimace was completely genuine and he received scowls of sympathy from both Hermione and Ron, they too had both been in the Wing enough times to dislike the medi-witch's insistence that bed rest would cure anything.
Harry glanced around the common room and seeing it nearly empty he lowered his voice to a whisper, "Dad agreed that we could do some animagus training for an hour on Saturdays."
"Won't that disrupt your preparation for the third task?" Hermione whispered back worriedly, but Harry shook his head.
"We don't have any information about it yet and Dad thinks that I should try to get any advantage I can and that involves the transformation. He'll also be teaching me a few other skills and spells so that once we know what it is we will be as prepared as possible."
Hermione nodded in understanding, "In that case I'd love to Harry, I've been reading everything I can but it will be brilliant to have a real teacher." Ron made a noise that could have passed for agreement, but Harry could see the excitement in his eyes, even if his best mate wasn't thrilled with his form the idea of being able to master the transformation held a lot of appeal.
There was a short pause then Hermione spoke again, "Would it be possible to join some of your sessions? Sirius is a brilliant teacher and some of the things you've used, especially with the dragon were amazing."
Harry sighed, he should have expected the question, the time turner last year had more than shown Hermione's love for knowledge but the main sessions would be focussed on learning to use the ambient magic and she wouldn't be able to join in. "Sorry Hermione," he said a little awkwardly, "But that isn't possible. Some of the stuff we are doing is only able to be done by a Black, and the other sessions, well," he fidgeted a little, unsure of how to continue.
Sirius meant more to him than anyone else and he treasured the sessions as they were times he could be with his father and just enjoy being with him without worrying about anyone else. He might be selfish but a fairly large part of him didn't want to share Sirius. He was his father and although he knew it was irrational he was still worried that someone would take him from him and that Sirius would stop loving him.
Some of his fears and thoughts must have shown on his face because Hermione nodded instantly, "That's fine Harry, it would probably be better if I just tried to master the transformation, everything I've read suggests it is an extremely difficult piece of magic." Harry just nodded his thanks, unable to articulate what he felt before ruefully turning back to his essay and picking up his quill; he still had to cover the twelve laws of inanimate to animate transfiguration.