“Ok, I liked last chapter’s title better!” James said.

With everything that had happened Harry had wanted to stay with Ron and Hermione in the Weasley tents but Sirius and Remus wouldn't allow it. All it took was that look Sirius usually gave him meaning 'we've talked about this and no one can know about it'.

            “See! You’ve got a look too,” Remus said pleased.

            “I can honestly say that my look is not as bad as yours!” Sirius said dryly and Remus scowled.

Word had passed quickly that Viktor Krum had given the Snitch he caught to the-boy-who-lived making Harry the most sought out person by the press, only adding to the reasons they needed to depart as soon as possible.

They walked with the Weasleys and Hermione to their campsite. Harry quickly bid goodbye to everyone, making sure to tell Ron and Hermione he would write to them. Remus pulled out the portkey Dumbledore had given them and waited for Harry to join him and Sirius. When Harry did, Remus held out the portkey for Sirius and Harry to touch then muttered the password 'sanctuary'.

With pull from behind their navels, they disappeared and reappeared in their quarters at Hogwarts. Without a word between them, the three collapsed on the sofa, completely exhausted. Harry let his eyes close as his body started to lean to his left. With the silence and peacefulness currently surrounding them, Harry finally felt all of the tiredness he should have felt the previous night and then some. Within a matter of minutes, Harry was asleep with a soft smile still on his face.

Sirius and Remus glanced down at the sleeping teen leaning into Remus' shoulder. "Do you want to talk to Dumbledore or should I?" Sirius asked quietly. "He should probably know what happened today."

            “Yes! Please! We want to know!” James cried.

Remus let out a sigh. "I'll do it," he whispered. "I tend to listen better when Dumbledore gets technical in his explanations and Harry will want an explanation."

            “Translation: as a bookworm I will understand better when Dumbledore gets technical, and I will pour through thousands of books with him before I reemerge into civilized society again,” in the absence of pillows, James received a roll on the head for that.

 Remus carefully lifted his right arm and wrapped it around the Harry, allowing him to slowly lie down on his lap. "Did you notice Fudge and the Malfoys after Krum gave Harry the Snitch?"

            “Bet they weren’t happy,” Sirius mumbled.

Sirius held in a laugh. "I don't think I've ever seen that family so jealous," he said candidly then turned serious. "Fudge is an idiot. I can't believe you came to his rescue like that. What were you thinking?"

            “YES MOONY! What were you thinking?” James asked.

            “I highly doubt he was helping Fudge,” Lily said dryly.

"Rescue?" Remus asked in confusion. "I was basically badmouthing Fudge to Obalonsk. That was why he was laughing so hard. I just apologized for Fudge acting like git because he is one."

            James hugged Remus and said delighted, “They grow up so fast. I am so proud!”

Sirius grinned. "Moony, sometimes you surprise me," he said proudly as he stood up. "I'm beat. I can take Harry to his room so you can visit the old man before it gets too late." Carefully, Sirius picked up the small fourteen-year-old and shook his head slowly. Harry was too light for anyone near his age. "This kid needs to gain some weight," he muttered to no one in particular.

He entered Harry's room and gently set Harry down on the bed. Carefully, Sirius pried the Snitch out of Harry's fingers, pulled out his wand and immobilized it. He then placed the golden ball on Harry's bed side table, knowing Harry would probably want to know where it was first thing in the morning. Careful not to disturb the sleeping teen, Sirius slowly removed Harry's shoes, glasses and wand holster with wand still firmly attached before covering him up with a blanket.

Kneeling down at Harry's bedside, Sirius ran his fingers through Harry's hair like he had over a year ago at Privet Drive, when he had posed as the faithful dog Midnight. Harry let out a moan as he leaned into the touch. It had surprised Sirius when Harry had hugged him and Remus after the match. Most teenagers wouldn't openly show affection towards their guardians in public.

            “Definitely not,” James said with an expression of horror.

But Harry was different. For some reason Harry felt the need to thank Sirius and Remus for everything they did for him. This worried Sirius. It worried him that Harry felt like he didn't deserve what every other child with loving parents seemed to take for granted. That was something Sirius hoped he could change. Harry did deserve everything and more that every other child got. Harry deserved to be loved.

            “And we love you Harry!” Lily cried.

---

Harry was pulled out of his slumber by someone gently shaking his shoulder. He groaned in protest as he slowly opened his eyes to see Remus' blurry face. Harry groaned again, trying to roll over but Remus kept a firm grip on Harry's shoulder. Mindlessly, Harry reached out for his glasses, found them on his bedside table and put them on. Remus' face came into focus…Remus' worried face came into focus.

            “What? Why?” James cried.

"Harry," Remus said gently as he sat down on the edge of Harry's bed. "Something happened last night."

            “What?”

“Did someone get hurt?”

“Who got hurt?”

“Tell us already!” the four cries came at the same time.

Harry quickly sat up as fear flooded him. His first thought was that something happened to Sirius but how could it? Sirius had come back here with them. Harry remembered that. His next thought was of Ron and Hermione. Had something happened to them? Had something happened to the Weasley family last night after they left?

Remus took hold of Harry's shoulders and waited until their eyes met. "Harry, everyone is fine," he said reassuringly.

            “So why did you have to scare us like that?” Remus cried angry.

            “Moony, that was you,” Sirius said calmly. Remus glared at him.

 "Last night after we left there was some wizards hurting muggles. Some say they were Death Eaters but no one real knows for sure. They were scared away when the Dark Mark appeared in the sky." Noticing Harry's confusion, Remus continued. "The Dark Mark is Voldemort's symbol. It hasn't been seen for years. Voldemort and his followers usually set it off after they killed someone. It was everyone's worst fear to come home and find it above your house."

            “Why would that scare Death Eaters?” Lily asked.

            “Well, because those are the Death Eaters that didn’t go to jail. They must have renounced Voldemort or made deals giving others up. I bet the last thing they want is Voldemort back,” Remus explained.

Harry shifted nervously. "Was it over mine—er—that night?" he asked.

            They all shuddered and Lily let out a little sob.

Remus shook his head. "Voldemort never…well…finished that night," he said softly as his gaze fell. He was silent for a moment before looking back at Harry. "It's all over the 'Daily Prophet' today, Harry, so I just wanted to warn you. If you have any questions, please ask."

"So everyone's okay?" Harry asked hesitantly.

Remus nodded as he smiled, knowing everything was just finally sinking in for Harry. "I talked to Molly this morning," Remus said. "They had just gotten home when I fire-called. I assure you they are home, safe and sound."

Harry let out a sigh of relief. He didn't know what he would do if anyone had been hurt last night although there still was something plaguing his mind. "Er—so what does the Dark Mark look like?" he asked curiously.

Remus pulled out the 'Daily Prophet' he had hidden in his cloak and handed it over to Harry. There, on the front page, was a black and white photograph of a large skull with a serpent coming out of its mouth like it was the skull's tongue hovering above the treetops. Harry could understand why people feared it; just looking at the picture sent chills down his back. The headline made Harry even more uneasy: SCENES OF TERROR AT THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP. This was what Ron and Hermione had to deal with last night?

            “Don’t worry Harry! They are fine now,” Lily patted the paper.

            “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t feel bad for what happened. Even if everything is fine,” James said knowingly, “My dad has been in some dangerous situations and afterwards, even if he comes back without a scratch, it takes a while before we stop being worried that he’ll get hurt again”

It hit Harry hard. Sirius had been right. Remus had been right. The Death Eaters were out there. "Why now?" Harry asked quietly. "It's been thirteen years. Why did this have to happen now?"

            “Well because Voldemort may be hurt and weak but he’s not gone. He isn’t going to stop until he regains power again, no matter how long that may be,” James said grimacing.

Remus gently pried the paper out of Harry's hands then moved closer to the teen and ruffled his already messy hair. "I honestly don't know, cub," he said. "Maybe they were just getting restless and wanted to have what they would consider fun. It's over now so there's nothing we can do about it. All we can do is keep our guard up in case something else happens. Maybe nothing will. Maybe this was just a one time thing."

            “Why do I highly doubt that?” Sirius said.

"That's a lot of maybes," Harry muttered nervously as his gaze fell. "You don't think this has anything to do with my dream, do you?"

            “No, definitely not. That dream was just a dream,” Sirius said calmly.

            “Sirius, just because you keep repeating it doesn’t make it true,” Lily said.

            “Stop being a pessimist,” he cried.

            “I’d rather be a prepared pessimist then an unprepared optimist,” she said back.

There was a brief silence before Remus cleared his throat. "It's difficult to say," he said honestly. "Dumbledore doesn't think so. Sirius and I already asked. I know this may be hard but try not to worry about it. From what Sirius tells me you have another training session with him today to worry about."

            “Sirius, stop torturing my baby!” James cried. Sirius looked sheepish.

Harry groaned in annoyance as he fell backwards, his head hitting his pillow. "Great," he muttered. "It's just another day when I can prove how incompetent I am. Why can't Sirius just give up? I'm un-teachable!"

            “No you are not!” Lily scolded.

Remus held in a chuckle. "That's not what I hear," he said candidly. "According to Sirius you're learning faster than most wizards twice your age and with twice of your experience. He has a lot more experience than you, Harry. Don't take it so hard. Sirius isn't one for patience.

            “Understatement of the year,” James said laughing. Lily and Remus joined and Sirius scowled.

If you really were 'un-teachable', he would have given up by now. He's proud of you and so am I."

"Really?" Harry asked hopefully.

            “Of course we are!” came four cries.

            “You’re the best Pronglet ever!” Sirius said.

            “He’s the only Pronglet,” James pointed out.

            “Oh, shuddup,” Sirius mumbled. The others laughed.

Remus laughed as he stood up. "Yes really," he said. "Now if you hurry, there should be some breakfast left in the Great Hall." He turned and walked towards the doorway, stopping the moment he reached it to look back at his charge. His face was now serious; all signs of happiness had left. "You do know that you can tell us anything, right?"

Harry was confused. Where was this coming from? He hadn't kept any secrets from his guardians since they became his guardians. Not knowing what really to say, Harry just nodded and watched as Remus left. His mind started working quickly trying to think of something he had done wrong but nothing came to mind. He hadn't caused any trouble…at least none any that he was aware of.

            “Why did you say that Moony?” Lily asked.

            “Dunno,” he answered and the four had looks on their faces as if they too were trying to remember something Harry may have done.

Early that afternoon Harry found himself participating in the infamous training session. Thankfully this one was just a series of duels to serve as a refresher course. Sirius won the first two but Harry managed to disarm and bind Sirius in the third, much to Sirius' disbelief and Remus' joy. It had taken nearly ten minutes for Remus to stop laughing.

            Sirius glared at Remus who was also trying to stifle a laugh.

The following two duels Harry wasn't so fortunate. By the time the fifth one had begun he was exhausted and sore. His muscles were screaming, slowing down his reflexes. When Sirius disarmed him for the fourth time, Harry let out a sigh of relief. He had made it. He knew the last match hadn't been much of a challenge for Sirius but at least he got through it.

            “Padfoot! What did I tell you about torturing my baby?” James said with narrowed eyes.

"I think that's enough for today, Padfoot," Remus said as he approached Harry, conjuring a few benches for them to sit on. The moment he reached the teen, Remus let out a sigh as he wiped the sweat off of Harry's forehead with his sleeve. "You could have said something, you know."

Harry shook his head. "I'm fine," he insisted. "I swear."

            “I swear Harry has that answer taped somewhere and he just has to open his mouth for that to come out. He doesn’t even have to think anymore,” Lily shook her head.

Remus looked at Harry with a raised eyebrow for a few moments before sitting down on one of the benches. "Have a seat, Harry," he said as Sirius handed the phoenix core wand back to Harry then sat down beside Remus. "We need to talk."

            “Uh, good things never come when a parent say that phrase,” James said.

            “But Harry didn’t do anything,” Lily protested.

            “You don’t know, maybe he finally decided to turn the fifth floor corridor into a swamp,” Sirius said exitedly rubbing his hands.

            “BLACK! How many times do I have to tell you to stop with the swamp business?” Lily cried.

Harry instantly grew nervous as he sat down on the bench across from them. It was never good when an adult said that. Harry was once again trying to remember anything he had done wrong and was once again drawing a blank. Is this what it's like to have parents? Harry had to wonder. "Er—what about?" he asked nervously. "I haven't done something, have I?"

"No, not at all," Remus said reassuringly. "We want to talk to you about yesterday at the World Cup…when you collapsed."

            “Yes please, we all want to know what happened,” Remus said impatiently.

"Oh, that," Harry said in relief. "Well, I really don't know what happened. Everything just got so bright all of a sudden. It was too much and—er—you know. I'm sorry if I scared you."

Sirius rubbed his hands together almost nervously. "I think you scared your friends more than us," he said. "We've seen these outbursts, Harry. They haven't. They will ask about it. I know you want to keep this a secret but what if something happens during the school year and we aren't here to help you? Perhaps telling them—"

"—no!" Harry interrupted as he quickly stood up. "No, they can't know." He let out a sigh as his gaze fell. "They'll be afraid…I know they will. I—I can't handle that again. It was bad enough when everyone found out I can speak to snakes…this will only be worse."

            “No they won’t be scared! You can tell them! You think they will but they are good friends! Tell them!” Remus urged.

            “Ok, Moony. Calm down. He’ll tell them eventually. I am sure of it,” Sirius rubbed Remus back.

Harry sat back down and buried his face in his hands as he leaned forward, his arms resting on his legs. How could he make them understand? How could he make them see? They didn't know what it was like to be scrutinized for every little thing you did. They didn't know what it was like to be watched all the time like he was. Harry couldn't afford to be different. Harry couldn't afford to be a freak.

Freak.

Perhaps that was what Harry feared the most. Remus and Sirius had told them that even though this sort of magical development was unusual, it wasn't unheard of. It had happened to others. That meant Harry wasn't alone…he wasn't a freak. He had spent years being called that by his relatives. What if they had been right all along? What if he was indeed a freak?

            “You are not a freak. I am going to kill that good for nothing sister of mine,” Lily shouted angry. The others weren’t in a better state shredding napkins and mutterings ways to kill the Dursleys.

 

Harry felt a gentle hand on his back coming from the left while a hand from the right rested on his right shoulder. It took Harry a moment to realize Sirius and Remus had moved so they were sitting on each side of him. Both of them sat there in silence for a while, not wanting to push the subject until Harry was ready. Eventually, Harry moved his hands up, through his until his fingers interlocked across the back of his neck. He stared at the ground unable to think of anything to say.

"We're not going to force you to do anything, Pronglet," Sirius said finally breaking the silence. "It's your decision. We just don't want you to have to face it alone. Last term you had Remus here helping you. You know you can owl us whenever you want but we won't actually be here to help you through it."

            “And your friends will! Tell them!” Remus cried.

"Last term it only happened when we were working on the Patronus Charm," Remus added. "This summer it's normally happened during dueling so we figured you would be all right…until yesterday. We don't know why that happened there of all places and neither does Dumbledore.

            “Oh Great! If Dumbledore doesn’t know, who’s going to know?” James asked exasperated.

 He's looking into it but right now he just wants us to be careful in case it happens again." Remus glanced at Sirius who just shrugged his shoulders unhelpfully. "We just want to make sure someone has your back in case something happens," he added.

"I know," Harry said tiredly as he continued to stare at the ground. It made sense but Harry just couldn't bring himself to trust his friends with something like this. He was too afraid he would scare them away. "I just can't. I can't tell them. I can't tell anyone. Does that make me a bad person?"

            “No! Just makes you normal!” Sirius said pointedly looking at Remus who smiled shyly. He had been worried when he was keeping his secrets that his friends would hate him for lying on top of being a werewolf. But they understood.

Both Sirius and Remus couldn't hide their confusion. That was the last thing they had expected to hear Harry say. "Not at all," Remus said quickly. "Why would you think that?"

Harry shrugged. "I should be able to trust them but I can't…not with this," he admitted. "Does that make me bad person?"

"No," Sirius said gently. "It makes you human, Harry. You have a right to be afraid. In the past people had always thought the worst of you first and asked questions later. The problem with that is Ron and Hermione never were a part of that group. They stayed by your side before. Why wouldn't they now? What makes this different?"

            “Yes! See! Tell them!” Remus urged.

Harry shrugged his shoulders again. He actually knew the answer but wasn't about to say anything. He wasn't about to tell his guardians that he was afraid of his friends seeing him as a freak or possibly a danger since he had no control over this yet. Perhaps that was why Sirius was pushing him so hard. He was trying to help Harry find his breaking point when these episodes would happen. The problem was there was no distinct point. They came and went. The only certainty was their unpredictability.

Not wanted to continue this conversation, Harry let out a sigh as he sat up straight. "Is it okay if I head back?" he asked quietly. "I'm really tired…"

"Sure Harry," Remus said with a nod. "You've had an exciting few days."

            “Quidditch World Cup,” James mumbled dreamily.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Harry buried his hands in his pants pockets and retreated to the castle. He knew it was probably wrong to walk away from the conversation. He knew Sirius and Remus were right but he just couldn't shake the feeling that telling Ron and Hermione was wrong. He could be careful. As long as he didn't involve himself in any extensive duels, no one would get hurt. It could work. No one would have to know.

When Harry finally reached his room, his exhaustion was finally hitting him at full force. Crashing on his bed, Harry didn't even bother removing his glasses or his wand holster off of his wrist. He simply buried his face in his pillow, drifting off to sleep almost instantly. Whatever decisions he had to make, they could wait until later.

---

Harry opened his eyes, surprised to find his room dimly lit. That was really all he could make out. His glasses had been removed but after a few seconds of feeling around he found them on his bedside table. After rubbing any remaining drowsiness out of his eyes, Harry put his glasses on and let his room. The Common Room was empty making Harry wonder how long he had been asleep. He figured it had to be past dinner meaning that Sirius and Remus were probably at their meeting with the Hogwarts Staff.

Looking around the room, Harry figured he should head to the kitchens for some dinner then spend some time in the library researching leprechauns and the Veela.

            James glared at Remus and mumbled “Turning my son into a Ravenclaw.”

 He had to admit it wouldn't hurt to know a little about the creatures, especially the Veela and any other creature that could have that sort of affect on a person. It would also be smart to know how to counter it.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

Harry was taken by surprise. He thought he had been alone. Looking in the direction of the voice that sounded remarkably like Ron's and saw Ron's head floating in the fireplace. Cautiously, Harry approached the fireplace. "Er—Ron?" he asked hesitantly.

            “Why was he surprised?” Sirius asked.

            “Because he never used the floo to talk to people. If you are not used it’s quite a shock to see a head floating in the fire,” Lily explained. The boys just looked lost.

A smile appeared of the flamed face of Ron. "Harry!" he said excitedly. "I've been trying to get though all day. Did you hear?"

Harry sat down in front of the fire and nodded. "Remus told me," he said. Although Harry usually called Remus Moony, around people he tried to call both of his guardians by their first names. He knew if a certain group of twins found out his guardians were actually their roll models, the Marauders, they would pester Sirius and Remus constantly for information. "Are you okay?"

"Everyone's fine," Ron answered. "It was scary though. Everyone sort of went mad when the mark appeared in the sky. Aurors nearly attacked Hermione and me when we came out of the woods. They actually thought one of us had done it."

            “That’s stupid! Two fourteen year olds wouldn’t know how to conjure the Dark Mark,” Sirius said.

            “Why would they think that?” James asked.

            “Well if you let me read you’ll know.” Lily said annoyed.

Harry looked at Ron with a raised eyebrow. Considering that he had just learned about the Dark Mark yesterday, Harry figured that Ron and Hermione were probably in the same boat. "But you don't know how to do something like that," he said in confusion.

"That's what we said," Ron said with a touch in annoyance in his voice. "It didn't help that whoever did it used my wand—"

            “WHAT?” four voices cried.

            “How the hell did they get his wand?” Remus asked confused.

"—what?" Harry interrupted. "How did they get a hold of your wand?"

            “Good question Harry!” Remus said and the others rolled their eyes. Sirius pointed out:

            “Moony, that’s the first question that comes to mind, hence, both of you asking it.” Remus smacked Sirius’ head.

Ron looked uncomfortable. "I don't know," he admitted. "Trust me. I got it from Hermione and my parents. It doesn't help that whoever did it got away. They found Crouch's elf but she insists that she didn't do it. You should have seen it. He sacked her right there in front of everyone. Hermione was furious.

            “Why did he sack the elf?” Lily asked outraged, “She couldn’t have conjured the Mark more then the kids could have.”

            “Yeah, but from what dad says this Crouch guy is a sticker for rules, so he would sack the elf just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” James explained grimly.

 Did you know that we needed dress robes this year?"

Harry was caught off guard by the abrupt change in topic. "Er—yeah," he said uncomfortably. "Sirius and Remus took me to Hogsmeade the week our book lists came out and went a little overboard. I thought guys were supposed to hate shopping for clothes."

Ron grinned. "What did they do?" he asked eagerly.

Harry let out a sigh. "They bought me an entire new wardrobe and burned whatever I had left from the Dursleys," he said bluntly then smiled as he remembered the entire bonfire with Sirius and Remus.

            “YES! Well done!” James cried happily hugging Sirius and Remus.

 "I think Sirius enjoyed it a little too much. He changed into Midnight at started ripping the clothes to shreds. It was quite a sight."

            They all laughed.

Ron looked at Harry for a moment. "Are you all right?" he asked. "You really scared us when you collapsed—"

            “See, his friends are worried. Tell them Harry!” Remus urged.

"—I know and I'm sorry," Harry said sincerely. "I really don't know what happened. Dumbledore's looking into it but I don't think it's anything serious. I was probably just overwhelmed with everything. I hadn't slept the night before so everything probably just hit me at once."

            “Harry James Potter do not lie to your friend!” Lily scolded.

"Are you sure?" Ron asked hopefully. "I mean, Mr. Lupin and Mr. Black wouldn't let you stay so I thought…"

            “You know, I am getting tired of this Mr. Black business. Who in their right mind would call me Mr. Black? Makes me feel old.”

            “But you are old in the Book Paddy!” James said with a straight face. Lily and Remus roared with laughter and Sirius glared.

Harry rubbed the back of his neck. "That had nothing to do with it," he admitted. "I had a dream about Voldemort and Pettigrew the other night. They've been a little overprotective ever since. I don't really remember it but whatever happened was enough to scare Sirius and Remus because my scar hurt when I woke up—"

"—WHAT!?!" Ron asked quickly. "Harry, the last time your scar hurt—"

"—I know, Voldemort was at Hogwarts," Harry finished for his friend, instantly regretting bringing up the topic. The last thing he wanted to do was worry Ron and Hermione. "He's not here, Ron. Trust me, I'd know. Dumbledore would know. My scar hasn't hurt since then. Everything's fine here…a little boring at times but fine. Hermione would actually be amazed how many times I've used the library."

Ron stared at Harry with a horrified look on his face. Perhaps that wasn't a smart thing to say. "Harry, please tell me you are not turning into another Hermione," he pleaded. "I don't think I could take it."

            “Yes! Thank you Ron, please bring my son back to his senses,” James begged. Lily rolled her eyes.

Harry grinned. "Not even close," he said honestly. "There's just nothing else to do during the meetings I'm not allowed to attend. Believe me. Starting September 1st, I fully plan on staying away from that place as long as I possibly can."

            James sighed relieved.

Ron smiled, clearly relieved. "Good," he said then scowled. "I have to go, Harry. Mum needs to use the fire. Talk to you later?"

"Sure," Harry sat as he stood up. "Bye Ron."

With a pop, Ron's head vanished from the fireplace. Now really feeling the consequences of missing dinner, Harry left the quarters for the kitchens. He knew the route by heart and was there in no time. He reached the painting of a bowl of fruit that concealed the entrance and tickled the pear. After hearing it giggle, Harry watched as the pear turned into a large green handle. He grabbed the handle and slowly pushed the door open.

Soft voices filled Harry's ears making him stop in mid-motion. He hadn't expected someone else to be there. Weren't they supposed to be in a meeting? Harry had to make a quick decision. He could quickly close the door and forget dinner, he could enter and let who ever was in there know they weren't alone anymore, or he could sit and listen for a moment.

            “Sit and listen!” the boys cried.

            “That’s not nice,” Lily scolded.

            “Then don’t talk where you can be overheard,” James said dryly.

The sound of his godfather's voice made the decision for Harry. "I don't know Moony," Sirius said. "This Tournament…there are just too many things that could go wrong. With everything going on: Harry's dream, Death Eaters at the World Cup, the Dark Mark…bringing students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang is just too risky. It's too risky for Harry."

"Well this is a change," Remus said in amazement. "Usually I'm the one overreacting about security. Do you really think Dumbledore would let anything happen to Harry? Do you really think Harry will just stand by and let something happen? You are his teacher this summer, Padfoot. Don't you have confidence in your student?"

Sirius scowled. "Of course I have confidence in Harry," he said firmly. "It's everyone else my confidence lacks in. Must I remind you what Harry had to face his first two years here when he was supposedly under Dumbledore's protection? I will not stand by and let my godson become a target especially with Karkaroff coming here."

            “You’re a little overprotective don’t you think?” Lily asked.

            “No,” Sirius stated. James and Remus shook their heads.

            “He’s like that with anyone he cares for, not just Harry,” Remus said, “You have to see him the day after the full moon. Remus are you hurt? Moony are you hungry? Moony you should rest more.”

            “Well that’s just being normal,” Sirius stated defensively.

Harry couldn't take any more and entered, catching his guardians by surprise. "Perhaps he wouldn't be a target if he were to know of the danger in order to prepare himself," he said as he enfolded his arms across his chest.

Both Sirius and Remus were trapped in a stunned silence from the table they sat at. The two men stared at Harry and Harry stared back, daring them to attempt to cover the mistake they had just made. Remus was the first to dare to speak. "How much did you hear, Harry?" he asked softly.

"I heard that there's going to be a Tournament here with students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang," Harry said evenly then looked directly at Sirius. So far, Sirius had been the only person never to lie to him. Harry was just hoping Sirius wouldn't change that now. "Tell me the truth. What's going on? Why do you really think I'm in danger?"

Sirius let out a sigh and shook his head slowly. "Have a seat, Harry," he said and waited for Harry to sit down at the table, next to Sirius and across from Remus. "We have been helping Dumbledore arrange a Triwizard Tournament to take place throughout the year.

            “WHAT?” Remus asked.

            “COOL!” Sirius and James said.

            “What’s that?” Lily asked confused.

            “It’s a tournament that was banned a hundred years ago,” James explained.

 It is a friendly competition between Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. One champion is selected from each school to compete in three magical tasks. Hogwarts is going to host it. We have been doing everything to make sure the tasks will be difficult enough but still safe."

            “Yeah, because before the champions used to die on the tasks,” James explained.

            “That’s horrible!” Lily exclaimed.

"There are also restrictions being put on who are allowed to enter," Remus added. "Only students who are seventeen or older are even considered. This is to make sure everyone competing will have enough experience to complete the tasks safely."

Harry blinked a few times as he took in the information. "So only students in their seventh year can enter?" he asked, making certain he heard right. Seeing Sirius and Remus nod, Harry couldn't help but smile. He wouldn't be able to compete. He wouldn't have to compete. "This is great!" Harry said happily. "Finally! A relaxing school year!"

            “Harry is going to be the only student happy with the underage rule,” Sirius chuckled.

Remus covered his mouth to hide a smile while Sirius stared at Harry in amazement. "Well," said Sirius. "That certainly wasn't what I was expecting. You wouldn't want to compete, Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "No way," he said firmly. "I doubt I would enter even if I could. Now no one will be expecting me to. Can you imagine? Having the entire school watch you like that?" Harry shuddered at the thought.

Remus barely held in a laugh. "Well, I think we know your weakness now," he said candidly then turned serious. "You know you can't say anything about this to your friends, right Harry? We can explain to Dumbledore how you found out—"

"—are you two going to get in trouble?" Harry interrupted nervously. "Because I can just pretend I don't know. We don't have to tell."

"Don't worry about it, Harry," Sirius said offhandedly. "The only person who will probably give us a hard time is Snape and if he says anything I'll turn him into a fluffy rabbit." Sirius couldn't help but smile at the thought

            James and Sirius were also smiling dreamily.

then returned to the subject at hand. "Dumbledore was planning on telling everyone at the welcoming feast anyways so it's not a big deal."

Harry took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He had no intention on telling Ron but it just seemed that there was something else to all of this. A simple tournament that he wouldn't be able to compete in certainly couldn't be why Sirius was so worried. "So why would I become a target?" he asked. "Does this have to do with my dream?"

Remus and Sirius looked at each other nervously. "Yes and no," Remus answered evasively. "You did say that Voldemort was going to have someone at Hogwarts. We know we can count on the new Defense teacher to help Dumbledore keep an eye on everything but we can't help worrying, Harry. You do have a knack of finding trouble."

"I don't find trouble, trouble usually finds me," Harry corrected then smiled at his guardians. Perhaps he could find out more than one secret tonight. "So, who's the new Defense teacher?"

            “Oh, nicely done. Catch them off guard,” Sirius nodded approvingly.

Sirius reached over and ruffled Harry's messy hair. "Nice try, kiddo," he said with an amused grin. "You can find out at the welcoming feast with everyone else. You'll like him. He's a retired Auror but certainly not out of practice. Just don't do anything I would do in class and he'll like you too."

            “Well, that’s a sure way for any teacher to like you,” Lily said evenly. Sirius glared at her.

Harry stared at Sirius intently with a straight face despite how much he wanted to break out in a smile. "No one in their right mind would do anything you would do, Midnight," he said in an even tone earning a laugh from Remus.

            Remus, James and Lily roared in laughter. Sirius’ glare intensified.

Sirius glared at Remus then looked at Harry and scowled. "You two are too much alike," he said as he enfolded his arms across his chest and started to pout. "This is just not fair. You've turned my godson against me, Moony."

Remus glanced over at Harry and winked before returning his gaze to Sirius. "Consider it payback, Padfoot," he said innocently. "I was usually the odd man out with you and James. You two never seemed to listen to reason.

            “So true,” Remus mumbled. Sirius and James were unfazed.

 Now you have two of us beating it into your thick head."

"Lovely," Sirius muttered then glanced over at Harry as he slowly rose to his feet. "You are going to get it tomorrow—" he added then grinned mischievously "—or should perhaps now."

            “Uh, oh,” James said.

Harry's eyes widened in alarm. He knew that look. He knew it all too well. Sirius was going to have his revenge and was going to take it out on Harry. Before his godfather could attack, Harry ran from the kitchens as fast as possible. He didn't make it far before he was tackled from behind by the large black animal known to Harry as Midnight.

He hit the floor hard and quickly rolled onto his back. Midnight instantly started to 'attack'. The dog licked Harry's face, smearing up his glasses then playfully tugged on Harry's shirt, making Harry laugh when Midnight's paws moved over Harry's ticklish sides. Knowing that Harry was ticklish, Midnight continued to tickle the teen without any signs of mercy.

Suddenly with a pop, Midnight changed into Sirius who was smiling at his godson. "Do you yield, Pronglet?" he asked, his hands hovering just above Harry's upper body as a silent challenge. If Harry said no, another round would begin.

Harry nodded quickly then sat up as Sirius sat back on his knees. Breathing heavily, Harry looked over at his godfather and smiled. "So Sirius, when do I get to become an Animagus?" he asked curiously.

            “Yes, when?” James asked exited.

Sirius was clearly caught off guard by the question, appearing to do some really fast thinking. "Er—when you get parental approval," he answered evasively.

            “Chicken!” Remus said, “How did you get into Gryffindor?”

Harry let out a huff. "You mean when Moony agrees to it," he corrected. "You know, I wouldn't hate you if you said no. In some cultures, children actually respect those who take the responsibility in making decisions instead of pushing it off on someone else."

Sirius stared at Harry in disbelief. "You know, Pronglet, that was downright profound," he said in amazement then looked at Harry with all of the seriousness he could muster. "Don't do it again. You're really starting to sound like Moony and one of him is more than enough and I really mean that."

            “Dunno, I think you would benefit of another me,” Remus said with a straight face. Sirius and James got up and started running away and screaming.