Sirius had greatly enjoyed reading the letters column in the Daily Prophet ever since Remus's original article had been published. Even though it had only been published a scant week ago already it had summoned up a veritable storm, witches and wizards from all walks of life and all parts of society had been writing in and expressing their views on the topic and overall it had been a resounding success.
Sirius had counted fourteen letters of support in the paper written by such diverse characters as Lucius Malfoy – a man Sirius was already watching very closely as he had no illusions that the man would attempt to get his hooks into both Hogwarts and further into the Ministry once Dumbledore was removed and that was something he would not stand for – and Madam Malkin. The response was certainly more than he could have wished for and he realised he had been given a golden opportunity, not only could he remove Dumbledore from his positions of power, but also if he played his cards right he could get rid of some of the 'ex-death eaters' and bigots that infested their society.
Discover moreAnime & MangaCreative writing coursesApp download campaignsWriter communityFan fiction booksToday's article would prove to be interesting. Sirius had no idea what Remus had managed to dredge up about Dumbledore, or even the efforts to 'honour' him by removing him from his posts so he was eager as everyone else – with the exception of Dumbledore – to see what his old friend had written this time. Forcing his face into a neutral cast he ate his breakfast as calmly as he could, whilst inside he was wound as tightly as a ball of wool.
The first Daily Prophet owls swooped down into the hall and Sirius heard the waves of mutterings that sprang up almost instantly as people caught sight of the headline. It was only the years spent pranking and not getting caught for more than half the pranks and the blighted pureblood training he'd been forced to endure as a child which allowed him to keep his anticipation off his face as his paper too was delivered.
He almost choked when he read the headline, he hadn't expected anything to happen quite so fast. In large bold letters across the page the paper proclaimed,
A New Chief Warlock!
After a week of public pleading for our esteemed government to finally recognise Albus Dumbledore for the great services he has rendered our nation the Wizengamot has acted. As many of you will know, Albus Dumbledore has presided over the Wizengamot in the role of Chief Warlock since his greatest victory over the Dark Lord Grimmwauld fifty years ago and in this office he has performed great services for our country.
It was thought that he would continue in his selfless sacrifice which he terms as his duty until he died but the Wizengamot have finally realised that the hero to the Wizarding World deserves more dignity and comfort as he grows older, then presiding over the politics of nation which is divided in viewpoints. In a rare show of unity they have announced that they will relieve Dumbledore of the burden of this duty at the end of the summer session, giving our hero the first bit of recognition he so richly deserves.
Discover moreFiction writing guidescookiesCookiesWriting workshopsCartoonsWe at the Prophet applaud this move, but we are left to question is it enough? We have given him one respite, but that does not account for even a fraction of the debt that we owe him. But there is only so much we here at the Prophet can do and we must now turn it over to you and our Ministry to do the right thing and to finally give Dumbledore the respite and recognition he deserves.
The article continued talking about the upcoming elections and the potential candidates for the post, with Remus subtly favouring Augusta Longbottom, Amelia Bones and Griselda Marchebanks for the post. They were all choices that Sirius would be happy to see in the post, all with a reputation for fairness and they wouldn't stand for any of the sort of nonsense the pureblood faction would attempt to pull. With that thought in mind he knew he needed to write another letter to Malfoy, there was no way he was going to let any of that faction take power, even as he made a mental note to turn up for the summer session, he could use the Black vote and the Potter proxy as he was now Harry's father to try and ensure they got somebody sensible in the post.
His musings were interrupted as Minerva caught his attention, "Can I have a word with you in my office this evening Sirius?"
"Of course Minerva," he answered politely. He guessed that she was putting the pieces together about the articles but a quick glance at Dumbledore's face revealed that he had not connected the articles to Sirius yet. His expression was contemplative as he scanned the article again and again, and Sirius was sure that the man had suspicions but there was no way to connect him to the articles yet and he knew while the man would be expecting him to do something, he would not have expected this sort of subtle approach. If there was anything Sirius had been known for in his school days it was his hot-headedness and his inability to be patient.
That had been changed by Azkaban. He would be the first to admit that he still had a nasty temper and several ministry personal had discovered that to their cost but the years he had spent in that hell hole had taught him how to be subtle and patient. He learnt what acting before thinking could cost him, and by extension Harry. But with that thought he wondered if he shouldn't do something else, something completely unrelated but the sort of thing that Dumbledore would be expecting him to do as a distraction. The more he thought about it the more he liked the idea. Do something showy or flashy that would occupy a lot of Dumbledore's attention and blind him to the real scheme that Sirius was trying to pull.
It would have to be planned very carefully he cautioned himself. It would need to seem brash and impetuous but at the same time it needed to be planned so that it didn't cause him trouble when it fell apart as it almost certainly would. He was not going to make the same mistakes again and he would be damned if he ever let anything happen to his son.
Dumbledore paced his office thoughtfully. It had been nearly two weeks since Sirius had demanded an unbreakable vow and he had been waiting for Sirius to act ever since then. He knew, and Sirius knew that the vow would not stop him from having contact with Harry and he had already found a loophole that he could exploit. It was contained in the wording of the vow, the statement that he couldn't have any contact with Harry outside of normal headmaster duties but that was where he was able to manipulate it. The Headmaster could oversee or take any detention which was allocated to a student and he had already decided that whenever Harry received a detention, which given his record in Serverus's classes was like to be soon, he would oversee that detention, enabling him to train the boy.
But still, although he had begun to work out how he could keep that flank covered, how he could work around the vow it still didn't remove his unease. Sirius would not leave the situation there, the fierce love he had seen in the man's eyes had told him that much, had told him that Sirius would go to any lengths he deemed necessary to protect his son. His son, the words felt bitter in Dumbledore's mouth, and while he could not begrudge the child somebody who loved him, love was the most important magic after all, every time he saw the boy, every time he saw the changes the adoption had wrought he was reminded of how much he had failed.
Discover moreApp store marketingRegular storiesBook recommendationsMobile user analyticsWriting forum accessWhere had all his plans gone wrong? What had prevented them from coming to fruition? Certainly everything had started out so well, Harry had come to Hogwarts and make friends with a muggleborn and a wizard who's family were firmly rooted in the light thus ensuring the boy was unlikely to turn to the dark and would be firmly in his camp when it was time for him to face his destiny. And at the end of his first year Harry had passed through the test he had set up with flying colours. He had shown bravery and courage and a desire to face and beat the wizard who had destroyed his parents. Second year too had been exemplar and Albus had been pleased with how Harry was learning and developing as a wizard.
It had been the boy's third year when things had started to go wrong. Not the start of the third year but definitely by the end and the past summer. Sirius had come into the picture and suddenly Harry had been taken beyond his reach. He hadn't noticed at first, and he had even supported Sirius, although he would never tell the man that, when he had been made aware of just how extensive the abuse was and the fact that Harry would not have survived if not for Sirius's intervention But after that point the situation had just slipped further and further away until it was almost completely out of his reach.
He sighed to himself, before turning his thoughts to the recent spate of articles. He would be alert when Sirius finally made his move, but even as he started to contemplate the articles and the possible motivations behind them he had forgotten one key fact. Although Sirius Black had been sorted into Gryffindor he had been raised a Slytherin and no matter how hard one tried to avoid their upbringing it would never vanish completely. Sirius Black was a Black and if there was anything the Blacks were known for it was their cunning.
Shaking off his musings about the situation with Harry Dumbledore focussed his thoughts on the articles. He was well aware that he had many enemies both political and ones that he had fought against and this was not the first effort he had seen that was aimed at removing him, or at least he thought that was the purpose of the articles. He could not discount the possibility that unlikely as it was, that the articles were written by some well meaning wizard who just wanted to see him honoured. It was an unlikely scenario but he had to admit that the articles did not show any of the signs he would have expected from the pureblood agenda.
He was well aware that there would be many there who wanted to see his removal, and he knew that regardless of whether it was theirs in origin there were many, Malfoy for instance who would be happy to use any excuse to remove him, particularly one which had the public behind, which he thought morosely this one certainly did. He shook those thoughts away; he needed to be thinking about the best way to counter this, to ensure that this attempt also failed. But he knew it would be difficult, especially as the author of those damned articles had managed to convince people that he would object and they were to continue despite any objections.
Mulling it over in his mind he came to the logical conclusion. He couldn't oppose it directly, that flank had been countered pre-emptively but he should be able to use his support base in the Wizengamot to challenge these changes by proxy. Yes, he nodded decisively, he'd send a missive round to his supporters, urging them to fight against the bills and changes, perhaps present them as a scheme pioneered by the pureblood movement to take control of the Wizengamot. Yes that ought to work.
It was with a lighter mind he turned his attention to the infernal paperwork that came with running a school. He gave as much as he could to Minerva but there were sections only the Headmaster could complete. But even as his attention turned elsewhere Dumbledore didn't realise that the school was slipping slowly and steadily out of his grip.
Sirius was a little wary as he approached Minerva's office. He was deeply grateful to the older woman of course, she was proving an invaluable ally in the school and it made the whole situation much easier now he had someone who had known Dumbledore well and was a strong candidate for taking over the school once he was removed but he was aware that he had not told her everything, the less people knew about some of his schemes the safer both Harry and he would be, and he was not looking forward to the coming conversation.
Consequently his knock on her office door was slightly sharper than he had intended but there was no trace that the witch had noticed as she called out, "Come in." Sirius entered the office and his eyebrows rose as he noticed the other person in the room, "Minerva, Filius," he greeted them, his mind racing. He had not been expecting to bring the head of Ravenclaw into his plans this soon, he had thought that the man was more closely connected to Dumbledore but he trusted Minerva's judgement. Still it had completely changed his perspective of what this meeting would contain.
However he managed to keep his churning thoughts from showing on his face as he sat and politely declined the offer of tea as he waited for either Minerva or Filius to get to the point of the meeting. He did not have to wait long before Minerva spoke.
"There are several things I need to discuss with you Sirius," she pinned him with a hard stare, "And while both myself and Filius, who you can inform of all the particulars in a moment, fully support you in your desire to protect Harry, we have both started to notice that you do not appear to have told us everything."
Sirius conceded the point with a nod. "It is true I did not inform you of everything Minerva, it is just that I have found that when dealing with Dumbledore the fewer people that know what is happening the less chance of your plans going to pieces," He hurried on quickly as she made move to speak, "It is not that I do not trust either or you Minerva, it is just that my experiences have taught me that the Headmaster is skilled in legilimency and all it takes is for a single person to slip up and the plan is useless."
The Head of Gryffindor nodded, "I can accept that reasoning Sirius, however I do not believe it would harm anything if we had a more comprehensive overview of the situation." She phrased it as an order not a question and Sirius knew that if he wanted to have their continuing support, something he needed in order to ensure that his plan would work, he would have to give them more details than he was completely comfortable with, "Do you both practice occulmency?" He asked as a thought came to him and he was relieved to see them both nod. It made it easier to share the information now he knew it was relatively safe.
"What have you noticed?" He asked a little bluntly, he knew Minerva had been aware of the scheme he was trying to pull and hence had the tools to put the pieces together, but Filius had obviously worked something out and if he knew what had tipped the man off it would be easier to work out what would be the best way to disguise his future schemes. Therefore he was pleased when the Ravenclaw head started to speak.
"There have been several attempts to remove Dumbledore previously but when that article appeared a week ago when no groundwork had been seen in the Wizengamot or in the Ministry that was the first clue that someone was attempting to remove Dumbledore and they had to come from outside the Ministry itself. It is rather obvious that you have had several disagreements with the Headmaster, particularly in regard to Harry and you are not the sort of person to sit idle on a perceived threat," the man explained, "From there, a quick word to Minerva solidified my suspicions. I have to say I agree with you actions. While Albus is a powerful wizard he is spread too thin and I get the impression he tries to fight his war with Voldemort at the expense of the school and students which is something I will not stand for."
Sirius inclined his head at the Charm Master's words, "You are correct in what I attempt to do, my actions are in response to what he had done in regards to Harry which I am sure Minerva has indicated to you but I am assuming you would rather know what I have planned rather than discovering it belatedly when things happen and if they go wrong." The look his old head of house sent him was answer enough and he leaned back in his chair as he marshalled his thoughts.
"You could say what I am attempting is a bloodless coup which does not involve the pureblood faction taking power. I am attempting to use the support and reverence that the majority of witches and wizards hold for him, as well as the influence of those who want to see him removed to force him to lose the positions of power he has over the Wizengamot and the Ministry. The articles that you saw in the Daily Prophet are the beginning of this, and it is from there that I hope to incite a large voice calling for his retirement."
He saw them both nod as he continued, "My aim is to get trustworthy and fair people into the vacuums left behind, I will use the Potter and Black proxies as well as the influence I have over Lucius to try to get someone such as Amelia Bones in the position of Chief Warlock. I know that the light families will vote for the candidate that is not part of the pureblood movement and the neutrals are likely to vote for somebody they perceive will preserve their interests which makes the election of a neutral candidate at least the most viable possibility." He paused, regarding them steadily,
"However I think that what I intend when it comes to Hogwarts is your more pressing question correct?" He saw the worry and concern in their eyes and he knew he was right, and as a colliery to that certainty, he also knew that what he said now would go a long way towards determining how they now regarded him, and the support he was going to receive from them.
He sucked in a deep breath, knowing how critical these next few minutes would be. "As for Hogwarts I would like to see Dumbledore removed from his position as Headmaster, and I want his successor primed and the whole school ready to easily adapt to the new order so there is no way the Ministry could get its hooks into the school, and to minimise any attempt at involvement from the pureblood agenda. It was the area I was hoping you could guide me on," he admitted frankly, "You both have far more experience with the school than I do, and you would both do far better in the Headmaster position than I."
"You have no intention of seeking the position yourself then?" Filius asked and Sirius let loose one of his bark-like laughs.
"Oh sweet Merlin no! I know I am not suitable Headmaster material and there is no way I would want to deal with all the paperwork – what I currently have now is enough to last me a lifetime." He heard the rueful chuckles from his colleagues as he continued, "But in all seriousness, the reason I am doing this is to ensure Harry is safe, and my priority is and will always be Harry. I would not take a position that would mean that I would have to forgo that."
He saw the relief in their faces and he realised suddenly how worried they had been about that possibility once they had started to realised precisely what he intended. "As for how I intend to remove him from Hogwarts, I know that will be the hardest battle, but a combination of the campaign I am running in the Prophet, and the Tournament I should be able to sort things out." His expression darkened, "I will start running a few articles about the problems that there have been in the tournament and I will set in motion a scheme to remove Dumbledore, which will be more of a diversion than anything else but it might have some side benefits."
He paused and looked at them both, a grave expression on his face. "You know more about the school than I do and I was hoping that between you, you would be able to have everything in place so that the instant Dumbledore is removed or forced to step down the school can instantly and with virtually no hassle switch to the new Headmaster or Headmistress before anyone else can even think of interfering."
McGonagall and Flitwick exchanged a long look before turning back to Sirius, it was Minerva who spoke, "I think we can come up with a workable plan Sirius, I presume you need something in place by the end of the Tournament?"
Sirius nodded instantly, "If possible, and it is a weight off my mind knowing that I can leave the school firmly in your hands." Minerva nodded decisively,
"I'm sure Filius and myself are capable of making the arrangements." Her sharp expression softened slightly, "Take care of that boy Sirius, I believe we have all failed him more than once and I do not want to see that happen again."
"It won't," he said simply, "I would die before I hurt Harry." The stern professor smiled as she heard the truth ring through the statement. They chatted for a little longer, talking about classes and other day to day matters before Sirius stood and took his leave, relieved that the conversation had gone the way he wanted it to. He knew it was unlikely that everything would go to plan of course, well it was almost certain that it wouldn't but now he knew one flank was secure he knew that Harry was just a little safer than he had been yesterday.
Harry shifted nervously from foot to foot. It was time for his second control lesson and after what had happened when he had originally tried to control the magic he was not eager to repeat the experience. However his father had explained to him that he needed to know how to control it, as the ambient magic, particularly in areas such as Hogwarts and Hogsmede was so powerful that it could cause awful damage, to both himself and to anyone in the vicinity if it ever got outside his control. He certainly had no desire to hurt anyone and that was why he wasn't kicking up any sort of fuss about the lessons although he approached them with a distinct lack of enthusiasm.
"Ready pup?" Sirius asked quietly and Harry just jerked his head in a rough approximation of a nod. He saw his father sigh, even as he reached out and placed his hand over his heart. "Don't be frightened," his father instructed softly, "The whole room is covered in cushioning charms and I have made sure that there is no way that a similar accident could occur. I need you to trust me and follow my instructions and the lesson will be fine."
The words reassured Harry somewhat but they didn't completely remove his anxiety. The incident during the previous lesson had hammered it home to him just what the power was capable of doing, and he was aware that as possible accidents went what had happened was fairly minor and that thought scared him. The last thing he wanted was to hurt his father, to hurt the man who had done everything for him, rescued him for an awful situation, taken him in, cared for him, loved him and then taken him in as his own. But he knew just how much power he had at his disposal and he was not willing to let it loose again, he was not willing to take the chance something would go wrong.
At Sirius's gentle pull he felt the magic rise in him once more, the same magic that had thrown his father across the room and suddenly his emotions, the years of being unloved took over. This had been what had hurt his father and he was not going to let it happen again. He was not going to do anything to hurt him. Instinctively he tried to pull it back, tried to stop it from leaking out, to erect some form of barrier. He felt his father's tug become more insistent and he struggled more, he was not going to let that destructive force be unleashed, he was not going to take the chance that he might hurt someone, and especially Sirius.
Within Harry the two forces fought. Sirius's magic attempted to guide his, to pull it along the pathways and release it inside him whilst Harry fought with his whole might to pull it back but Sirius was winning. Years of experience of manipulating the magic, combined with a greater control of his own power meant that he was slowly gaining ground as the magic was coaxed closer and closer to the surface. It had almost reached there when Harry yanked it back, pulling the magic from his father's control.
With a sudden snap it returned to his control but it had been too near the surface and as his magic surged back into his body it pulled with it a tidal wave of the ambient magic. It was too much, he couldn't hold it in and with a scream he flung his arms out as the magic which had rushed into him poured out of him. Then just as fast as it had come it was over and Harry collapsed, gasping in pain and for breath, onto the cold floor.
In the next instant he found himself being picked up and a carried over to the sofa. Even in his slightly befuddled state he could feel the tenseness in his father's movement, a tenseness he was not familiar with. He was laid gently onto the sofa, and already his breathing was evening out although he could still feel the lingering ache where the magic had ripped through him. For several moments the silence stretched as gradually Harry felt his body begin to return to normal.
"What in the name of Merlin did you think you were doing?" Sirius's voice cut harshly into the sudden silence and biting back a groan Harry forced himself to look up. His father's face was white and Harry could see the fear in his eyes, fear that was rapidly giving way to anger. He couldn't help it, he flinched and almost immediately let out a hiss as the movement sent a flash of pain through him.
Sirius saw the flinch and tried to pull back on his anger but it was difficult. He had been beyond horrified when Harry had jerked the magic out of his grip and he had felt the ambient magic rush into his son before pouring back out. He knew just what the magic was capable of, he knew the history of the Black family and he was well aware that there had been many that had killed by it and that the first few times were the most dangerous. It could have killed Harry.
There was anger at himself, for failing to explain to his son precisely every sort of thing that could go wrong, but he'd warned him it was dangerous, warned him that things could go wrong and he'd thought that Harry would be old enough not to try and the accident had to have hammered home how dangerous it was. And he'd seen that Harry had wanted to learn to control it, if only to prevent another accident from happening but why oh why had his son jerked the magic back then, just when he was overcoming the resistance?
He saw the fear in his child's eyes and tried to push his anger below the surface, he never wanted his son to be frightened of him but it was difficult. "What were you thinking?" He demanded, the words coming out a little more sharply than he had intended, and he saw Harry flinch again. Reminding himself firmly that the only experience Harry had with anger was the beatings he received at his uncle's hands he continued, "I won't ever hurt you Harry but what you did was extremely dangerous so please answer the question. What in Merlin's name did you think you were doing?" He asked sternly.
Harry swallowed hard, he hated hearing the anger and fear in his father's voice when he knew he had been the one to put it there. Now the magic was no longer thrumming through his veins he didn't know why he had reacted so badly, why he had acted so badly when he knew it was dangerous. "I didn't think," he whispered almost inaudibly.
"That is obvious," Sirius said sternly, "What you did was extremely foolish and it could have seriously hurt you. You need to learn control but in order to do that I need to be certain that you will be sensible and not interfere with the magic."
Harry couldn't meet his father's eyes and he looked down shame heating his cheeks. He could hear the rebuke clearly in Sirius's voice and this time he knew it was caused by something he had deliberately done. "I'm sorry Dad," he said quietly, "I promise I won't interfere again."
"Good," his father replied, before his voice softened slightly. "It is extremely important that you learn this Harry, not only is it dangerous if it gets out of your control. I believe the two accidents we have had so far are proof of that and..." Sirius trailed off as a realisation struck him. He had noticed that when he had mentioned the accident his son had started a little and focussed very hard on the floor.
He sighed before sitting down on the sofa, causing Harry to glance up in surprise. "It's what happened last time isn't it?" he inquired softly, "The accident frightened you and when I went to draw the magic you reacted to it because you were scared about what would happen when it was released."
Harry refused to look up, scuffing at the floor with one foot. "I don't know why I reacted so badly Dad," he murmured, shame-faced, "I know I've got to learn control but when you started to draw the magic, I don't know, suddenly all I could think about was not hurting you again." Sirius reached out and drew the teen into a loose one armed hug, realisation rushing through him. Of course after everything Harry had gone through it was only natural that he was going to be frightened of hurting him and by extension losing him and the accident which had happened on the first lesson would have got it into Harry's mind that it was dangerous. He knew that teaching Harry to wield the magic had just become exponentially harder.
"I'm not angry Harry," he said quietly, and at Harry's disbelieving look he elaborated, "Well I am, I'm angry at the danger you put yourself in and a little disappointed that you felt you had to struggle against the magic rather than just telling me that you were uncomfortable, I'm presuming that the resistance I felt was you trying to hold it back," he took Harry's lack of a denial as an affirmative as he continued, "But I can understand why you did it. And because I understand that and know you had a good reason, I cannot be as angry as I would otherwise have been. It doesn't mean that what you did was right, you put yourself in danger and disobeyed me but it is more understandable."
Harry still didn't raise his gaze. From the fear and anger he had seen in his father's expression and the tone Sirius was speaking in he knew he was going to be punished and inwardly he knew Sirius was well within his right to do so. He had disobeyed him, he had ignored the fact Sirius had warned him about what the magic could do and he had put himself in danger. He trusted that Sirius wouldn't hurt him, his father had promised him that so many times but he couldn't help but be apprehensive about what was to come. Sirius had never punished him before and the fact he didn't know what to expect made things a lot harder.
He heard Sirius start to speak again and he immediately focussed his complete attention on his father; he didn't want to get into more trouble than he already was. "I've not discussed punishments with you before Harry," his father said, his voice serious, "And that is a conversation we will be having in detail this evening, but before I come to that I there is something I need to make completely clear. I will never raise my hand to you in anger, and I will never use physical punishments such as beatings, or starvation." Inwardly Harry let out a sigh of relief, he had never thought his father would harm him but it was reassuring all the same to know that he wouldn't.
There was a dark understanding in Sirius's eyes and Harry suddenly knew that his father was completely aware of his fear about being punished. "This was a first offense and you had a good reason for your actions so the punishment is minor, you will write me a foot on why what you did was dangerous and you are to consider yourself grounded to my quarters for the rest of the day."
Harry nodded his acceptance of the punishment quickly. True to his father's word, the punishment was minor, a foot was a short essay and he was being confined to Sirius's quarters for the rest of the day which meant he would have to stay there all afternoon and evening which was a pity because it was Saturday but it would mean he would get all his homework done and he would be able to have fun tomorrow.
"I am really sorry Dad," he said sincerely. Sirius smiled at him and reached out to ruffle his hair.
"You're forgiven pup." The sound of his nickname made Harry smile. If Sirius was using it that meant he had definitely forgiven him and it made him feel a lot better to know that he hadn't made his father mad enough to stay angry at him. "But I need you to promise me that no matter what happens in the lessons you will follow my instructions, and if what is happening is making you uncomfortable that you will tell me before you do anything so foolish again." Harry felt his cheeks burn in embarrassment but he managed to look his father in the eye as he replied, "I promise Dad."
Sirius's smile was genuine as he pulled Harry into a gentle embrace before releasing him and standing once more, indicating that Harry should also stand. A little confused Harry did so, and turned his curious gaze on his father. "We're continuing the lesson," Sirius told him crisply, "You need to learn control and I am fairly sure that this attempt should be relatively smooth."
Harry swallowed a lump in his throat as he nodded. Sirius smiled reassuringly before placing his hand over Harry's heart once more and gently he started to pull the magic forward. Harry felt the self-same panic rise up inside him but this time he controlled it. He was already in trouble and there was no way he intended to disappoint his father again. It took a while before the emotions fell back and it was only then he turned his attention to the magic welling up in his veins.
Unlike the previous times it rose a lot more slowly and there was no hint of the wildness that he had felt before. He allowed himself to relax slightly as his father's magic guided the magic inside him, pulling it gently to the surface. He gasped as the magic reached his skin and he could suddenly feel the ambient magic surround him. It pulsed gently against his skin, flaring out in short bursts. It was beautiful but at the same time it was also terrifying. He could feel the beauty of it but he was also aware that Sirius's power surrounded it completely and it was only the iron control that his father was exerting on it that was keeping it from lashing out.
His father released the magic, allowed the ambient magic to fade back into the surroundings. Harry let out the breath he hadn't realised he was holding and his head swam as he felt the effect of the magic left him. Sirius placed a hand on his shoulder, supporting him. "It is quite something when you first feel it isn't it?" His father said softly and Harry nodded in agreement, not knowing quite how to describe it, although one question was burning in his mind.
"Is it always that hard to control, I mean it's lovely but I could feel that you never lost your grip on it, not even once?" His father's expression turned grave,
"The issue with the ambient magic is power," he said quietly, "In any wizarding area there is so much power that it is hard to control. You've seen what happens if it gets out of your control, and that's why I keep it under control, I am not willing to risk hurting you in anyway. But that is also what makes it such a useful gift, no matter where you are, once you have the required control you can protect yourself if you are disarmed."
Harry nodded thoughtfully for several moments before he spoke again, "I can also see why people were so frightened of it," he all but whispered, "There's so much power there and if it was used for the darkness." He couldn't suppress a shudder at the thought.
"I know," his father replied softly, "And when you think that using the magic in such a way is addicting, it is no wonder that so many Blacks have been dark wizards or even Dark Lords."
"But there have also been ones which are nothing but light," Harry said fiercely, emerald eyes fixed on his father. Sirius couldn't speak around the lump in his throat, it was always so humbling to realise just how much his son cared for him and loved him. He didn't have any words but that didn't matter as he reached out and dragged his child into an embrace. He felt Harry hug him back and they stood there for a moment before he released him.
"We need to continue with the lesson pup. I'll call it again, but when I've done so I'll release a little and start you working on your control. Normally this would be done after you learnt to call it but for you I think control, rather than calling is the priority." Harry smiled a little wanly as Sirius called forth the magic again and he was all but trembling when his father relinquished some of the control over to him but contrary to his expectations, whilst the magic fought his grip he found that if he concentrated he was able to command it, to prevent it from lashing out.
A few minutes later Sirius released the magic. "Well done Harry," he told him proudly, "That was definite progress, now I suggest that you fetch your school books as you will be spending the rest of the day here and I am sure it would be a good time to get the work done." Harry nodded quickly and hurried off, his cheeks flaming with the reminder of the trouble he had got into earlier.
He knew he deserved it, and he had gotten off lightly after disobeying his father and putting himself in danger and there was part of him that was pleased that Sirius cared enough for him to punish him, and punish him kindly, nothing like the 'punishments' that had been dished out by his uncle. Be still there was also a large helping of embarrassment and he didn't really want any of his friends to know that he was being punished, that was something that was going to stay between him and his father for as long as he could keep it there.
To his great relief none of his close friends were in either the common room or the dorms, and he managed to grab his stuff and make it back to Sirius's quarters without anyone noticing or questioning him about anything. He climbed through the portrait hole and moved resignedly to the table, dragging up a chair as he dug through his bag for the appropriate books and started to battle his way through a particularly nasty essay Snape had set them.
The remainder of the day passed quietly with Harry not even leaving his father's quarters even for lunch as Sirius had asked the house elves to bring the meal up to his quarters. Thankfully none of his friends had yet come to find him, Hermione and Ron were very accustomed to him spending most of his Saturdays with Sirius and it might not even raise eyebrows if he didn't turn up in the dorms this evening either. He had no doubt that Sirius intended for him to remain the night here, but if he was honest with himself he didn't really mind and he wouldn't have minded at all if he wasn't confined there as a punishment.
It was after supper that the conversation he had been dreading came up. Sirius moved over to the sofa and indicated that he should join him. Harry sat down a little nervously, fidgeting a little and not looking his father in the eye. He heard the older wizard sigh, "I know this will be a little uncomfortable pup but the events this morning reminded me that we have yet to discuss matters such as punishment and I want everything to be clear and fair so that we are both on the same page when it comes to punishments and you know precisely what the consequences will be."
He waited for Harry's nod before continuing. "I believe there are three different types of things you could do wrong and therefore they have different levels of punishment. Firstly are what I'd term minor offences, doing something you hadn't realised was wrong probably for the first time, or you did something wrong but there were strong extenuating circumstances or reasons why you did so – for example you hexed someone who was cursing your friend, it would still be wrong to do but that would earn you a small punishment like today. A grounding for a day or two, an essay to write perhaps and maybe being suspended from you broom for a day or two, or perhaps some extra housework or at the very least a lecture." Harry nodded, that was certainly fair.
"Then there are medium offences, doing something you knew was wrong again, or doing something wrong that is fairly minor but without any extenuating circumstances that are reasonable, so for example deliberately disobeying me when you had already done so before, or breaking something because you were angry. Things like that will earn you a more serious punishment, a grounding for several days, depending on how severe the offence was and maybe certain privileges would be temporarily revoked, for example I might ban you from visiting Hogsmede that weekend." Harry nodded slowly, digesting what his father had been saying. He didn't kid himself that he would ever enjoy a punishment but he knew that his father was being very fair and he was not going overboard like his uncle had done but he was still a little tense – the last category would be the worst and that had been what he had been dreading.
"The last category is severe offenses. This would include repeat offending of a minor offence, deliberately harming others, putting yourself in danger deliberately when you had other options. In terms of punishment these will be the most variable as there is quite a lot of scope in this category but I would never hurt or humiliate you as a punishment, such a punishment is likely to include a grounding for several weeks, and during that time some sort of activity that is unpleasant but wouldn't harm you such as having to clean out the attic without magic or similar, and almost certainly several privileges during that time, and maybe for longer would be revoked."
Harry let out the breath he didn't realise he had been holding. He could understand his father not pinning particular lengths onto a punishment but it was the reassurance that he would never be hurt or humiliated that made him relax completely but there was still one key question he wanted answering, "Will punishments be discussed before you give them out?" he asked a little awkwardly but Sirius seemed to understand what he was really asking.
"I'll certainly listen to your side of the story before I decide on a punishment pup and you'll be able to discuss them with me if you feel that something is too harsh but there is a fairly good chance I won't agree."
Harry thought over it for a moment before he nodded, and for the first time since the conversation had started he leant against his father's side and he felt Sirius wrap him in a loose one armed embrace. "I'm sorry about this morning Dad," he murmured and he felt his father tug him a little closer.
"I know you are," he murmured in reply, "And you are completely forgiven." Harry smiled from his position curled up against his father. It gave him hope that no matter how stupid he might be in the future that things would be alright in the end and no matter what he did he would eventually be forgiven.