“KSOMM814! WHAT’S UP WITH YOU AND THE ANGSTY TITLES? I WANT THE ROAD HOME TO BE SHORT AND SMOOTH!”

“And I want to keep my hearing intact James,” Lily snapped rubbing her ear that had been dangerously close to James. After a while she stopped and frowned, “Though I too rather the road be quick.”       

Harry didn’t know how long he ran until he came across a dirt road but from the appearance of the setting sun, it had been quite a while. He was extremely tired, sore, hungry and thirsty but he had forced himself to keep moving. The added weight of his weapons had only made the task more difficult. He didn’t know how long he had been held captive but considering how weak his body was feeling, Harry could only assume that it had been at least a few days since he had eaten anything. Deep down, Harry knew he wouldn’t last too much longer before dizziness started to set in. If working at a hospital for a month taught him anything, it was how to recognize the signs of exhaustion.

He also knew it wouldn’t be long before someone realized that the person in the cell wasn’t Harry Potter. Once that happened, Voldemort was bound to retaliate and Harry certainly wasn’t looking forward to that headache. Harry now knew that his Occlumency training hadn’t actually stopped Voldemort at all. It had simply been a ploy to catch Harry at the right moment, a moment when Harry hadn’t been thinking about anything other than the death of one guardian and the possible death of another.

“Yes, and who was supposedly teaching Harry Occlumency?” Sirius asked crossing his arms.

“Things do keep putting Snape in quite a bad light, don’t they?” Remus asked bitterly.

So much could have been avoided if I had talked to someone. Why did I trust a voice in my head rather than logic? I let Voldemort take my grief and twist it to suit his own purpose. I really must be the thickest person on the planet.

“No, Harry. You’re not. Don’t worry. That will always be Sirius,” James said soothingly.

“Yeah Harry, don’t worry th- HEY! I’M NOT THICK!”

“Sirius no shouting, James stop teasing Sirius!”

“But mum! How will I have fun then?”

Shaking the thought out of his head, Harry stuck out his wand arm and prayed that it would work. Sirius and Remus had told him once about an emergency transport service for witches and wizards. Would it still work if someone’s magic had been suppressed? Harry could only hope because he didn’t think he would be able to make it home on foot. He didn’t even know if he had been going in the right direction.

A deafening BANG was Harry’s answer. Jumping backwards, Harry saw a violently purple, triple-decker bus had appeared out of thin air in front of him. There was gold lettering over the windshield that spelled ‘The Knight Bus’. The thing was positively huge. Harry had never seen a bus like it before but quickly snapped out of his thoughts and reminded himself that Voldemort’s lair wasn’t too far away.

“Well, at least he hasn’t eaten in a while,” Remus said relieved.

“REMUS, my baby not eating is a horrible thought!” Lily scolded.

“Trust me Lily, when entering the Knight Bus, the more empty the stomach, the better,” Mr. Potter said grimly rubbing his stomach.

A thin and pimply young man wearing a purple uniform jumped down onto the dirt road. “Welcome to the Knight Bus,” he said loudly. Harry instantly reacted, grabbing the conductor by the uniform and shoving him back on the bus. “Hey!” the conductor cried. “Get off!”

“Get the bus moving,” Harry ordered through his teeth. “Unless you want to come face to face with Voldemort’s finest, of course.”

“I’m confused,” James said.

“You’re not the only one,” Mrs. Potter answered.

The conductor winced at the mention of Voldemort’s name before paling and hurrying to the driver, an elderly wizard wearing very thick glasses. Harry followed the conductor into the bus only to notice that there were no seats. Instead, there were six brass bedsteads that were placed next to curtained windows. Burning candles were in brackets next to each bed. This was absolutely the strangest bus Harry had ever seen. Thankfully all of the beds were empty at the moment.

There was another loud BANG and Harry quickly grabbed hold of the nearest bed to prevent himself from landing flat on his back as the Knight Bus took off. Looking towards the driver, Harry saw the conductor staring at him fearfully. He must think I’m a Death Eater. Letting out a sigh, Harry sat down on the bed and pulled back the hood of his cloak to reveal his face. He knew it was the only way for the conductor to believe that he wasn’t an enemy.

“Well, er- with the attitude back there, what did you expect?” Remus winced.

“He was worried he was being followed,” Mr. Potter explained.

The conductor gasped in shock as he took a few steps forward as if to get a better look. “Blimey,” he said softly. “You’re Harry Potter! Ern, its Harry Potter!”

Harry could only shake his head in exasperation. “Look, I don’t know what’s been going on but I need to get far from where we just were,” he said tiredly.

The conductor had apparently recovered from his shock and approached. “Where do you need to go, Mr. Potter?” he asked eagerly. “You’re our only customer at the moment so we don’t have any other stops to make. I’m Stan Shunpike, by the way and the driver is Ernie Prang.” Harry saw Ernie looking at him and nodded a hello which earned him a nod from Ernie in return. “I can’t believe it,” Stan continued in an amazed tone. “Harry Potter! The entire Ministry has been searching for you for the past three days, you know.”

Harry closed his eyes and let out a sigh. Well, at least he knew how long he had been there now. He didn’t know why but he had thought it had been longer even though he had been unconscious for most of the time. “Three days?” he asked quietly. “It’s only been three days?”

Stan rested a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “Should we take you to St. Mungo’s, Mr. Potter?” he asked gently. “If you’re hurt—”

“Take him to Grimmauld Place!” Sirius ordered. “Dumbledore will call Madam Pomfrey.”

“Maybe St. Mungo’s-“

“Is not worth the risk because of your fear of Madam Pomfrey, James. There may be spies there and they would find out about Harry’s abilities. No, Sirius is right,” Mr. Potter said.

“I’m not afraid of Madam Pomfrey,” James huffed offended.

“—it doesn’t matter,” Harry interrupted. “It won’t be long before Voldemort knows I’m gone. Where are we exactly?”

“Nearing London,” Stan said carefully. “But if you’re injured—”

“—no,” Harry said firmly. He wasn’t about to put the lives of everyone in St. Mungo’s in danger because of this. Besides, going to St. Mungo’s would only waste time that he didn’t have. Making sure Sirius was safe was all that mattered. His injuries could wait. “I’ll be all right. If you could drop me off at King’s Cross Station, I’d appreciate it.” Harry took off his glasses and tried to rub the oncoming exhaustion out of his eyes. “Oh, I’m afraid I don’t have any money so if I could have an address to send it too—”

“—don’t worry about it, Mr. Potter,” Stan said, leaving no room for argument. “It’s the least we can do but I don’t like leaving you in the middle of London with the current state of things. What about Sirius Black or even Dumbledore? They’re in charge of the search for you! They would want to know you’ve escaped!”

“Yes, we would!” Sirius cried. “Thank you Stan!”

Harry slid his glasses back on his face and met Stan’s gaze. “Would you return home if it meant putting your family in danger?” he asked.

Moans were heard all around.

“Until I know I’m not being followed, I can’t take the risk.” Actually, Harry was worried that Voldemort was still in his head and would discover where Order Headquarters was but he wasn’t about to reveal that. The more he thought about it, the more Harry realized that his original plan to run home and warn Sirius wouldn’t work. All he had to do was to keep a lookout and make sure Sirius was still at home and not in Voldemort’s clutches. After tonight, Harry would find someway to approach his guardian in a neutral setting, a setting that wouldn’t give anything away to Voldemort.

Mr. Potter started banging the back of his head against the soft back of the armchair.

There had been many things about his capture that didn’t make sense to Harry. Voldemort had the perfect chance to dive into Harry’s mind for information but he didn’t. He could have discovered so much but the Dark Lord kept his distance and let some sort of medical researcher search for information that he could have learned in a fraction of the time. Why? What was Voldemort playing at? Did he already know and this was just another way to mess with a teenager’s mind?

“Or, he was scared of what would happen if he entered Harry’s mind?” Remus said slowly tapping his chin with his finger. “Interesting.”

“Okay Moony,” Sirius said patting Remus’ back. “We’ll let you research that after we finish reading.”

It was now a constant fear. Was Voldemort in some corner of his mind? His scar had hurt continuously throughout the past few days but Harry had assumed that it had been because he had been near Voldemort for so long. So many mistakes have already been made because of assumptions and here I am making more. Harry really didn’t know what to do. What do you do when you can’t even trust your own mind anymore?

Stan took a step back and studied Harry for a moment before he shook his head sadly. “I still don’t like it, Mr. Potter,” he said. “Couldn’t we drop you off at the Ministry instead? There’s bound to be someone there who could help you out.”

“There’s also bound to be spies working for Voldemort there,” Harry countered. “The further I stay from the magical world the better at the moment. It’s too hard to tell whether someone is a friend or an enemy.” Glancing at his wrists, Harry noticed blood and quickly hid them in his cloak. He could feel the tiredness seeping in and fought to keep it at bay. “I can take care of myself,” he said softly. “Trust me.”

“NO STAN! Don’t trust him! Take him to Hogwarts!” Lily cried.

“To the castle that helped him escape the first time around?” James asked. “No way! Take him to Grimmauld Place!”

“Stan doesn’t know about Headquarters James!” Lily snapped back.

“But Hogwarts isn’t a good option!” he argued back.

“Hogwarts is the only op-“

“Enough you two. Stop arguing and let’s keep reading!” Mr. Potter said sternly and Sirius and Remus clapped. Their clap slowly died at the double death glares they received.

There was nothing more to say. Harry wasn’t going to give in no matter what was said. He knew he really didn’t stand a chance against Voldemort or the Death Eaters with his magic suppressed. He had handled one Death Eater by catching him by surprise but Death Eaters rarely traveled alone. Their safety was guaranteed in numbers. It was a human trait that Harry had learned long ago. Attackers attacked when they were certain they would succeed. Defenders acted when they were certain the attackers could be defeated. Fear was definitely a powerful motivator.

There was very little sunlight left when the bus had come to a stop. As he rose to his feet, Harry pulled the hood of his cloak over his head to hide his face. He didn’t have much of a choice. The face of Harry Potter was too recognizable. Harry had a feeling that Muggles were probably aware of his disappearance by now making it increasingly difficult to remain anonymous. Just stay in the shadows. That’s really all I can do.

“King’s Cross Station, Mr. Potter,” Stan said quietly.

“Thank you, Stan,” Harry said politely and he walked over to the doors. “Thanks for everything.” Before Stan or Ernie could say anything, Harry stepped off the bus and took in his surroundings. The train station was extremely crowded forcing Harry to quickly blend into the lines of traffic. With a loud BANG, the Knight Bus vanished from sight but Harry seemed to be the only one to notice. I guess that means there are no other witches or wizards in the area.

Harry kept his posture relaxed but alert as he stepped out of the main crowd and veered left. It was about a twenty minute walk if you used the main streets but Harry couldn’t exactly take that route. There were too many people who would notice a cloaked figure walking down the sidewalk. Merlin forbid any child see me and run away screaming. That would put an end to this little task real quick. Just what I need is someone alerting the Muggle authorities and causing a ruckus. I might as well put up a flashy sign saying: ‘Find Harry Potter Here’.

Luckily the number of people outdoors decreased dramatically once Harry was far enough away from the train station. Soon, Harry had no difficulty staying out of the light provided by the street lamps and retreated to darkness and shadows provided by large trees and shrubs when it was absolutely necessary. So far there had been no sign of any witch or wizard whatsoever. Harry didn’t know whether that was a good or bad sign. What if no one was at the house? What if they were somewhere that wasn’t nearly as protected, leaving Sirius vulnerable?

“Will you stop worrying about me and go home already?”

“This kid really needs someone to explain to him who is the adult there,” Mr. Potter said. “Talk about role reversal.” Then he looked at Sirius and tried to picture him as an adult and failed miserably as the boy started making faces at James.

Harry was nearly halfway there when a searing pain erupted from his scar. Harry bit back a cry as he hurried for cover in a grouping of large shrubs and sank to his knees. Grabbing his forehead, Harry was barely aware that he was rocking back and forth as the pain slowly increased. Anger flooded his entire body. He felt the intense desire to hurt…to kill…No! Get out of my head! I don’t want to hurt anyone!

His world suddenly dissolved into a dimly lit room large enough to fit an army. He was standing in front of nearly two dozen kneeling Death Eaters. Two of them were holding a man whose face was hidden by what could only be described as a cloth bag. The prisoner was trying to stand bravely but it was easy to see that he was trembling in fear. Absolute silence filled the room. No one dared moving in fear of being subjected to the wrath of their leader.

“All of you are here tonight because while you were here, Harry Potter managed to escape,” Harry hissed. “A teenager was walking around and NO ONE NOTICED ANYTHING!!!” The majority of the Death Eaters flinched in fear. “You are supposed to be the cunning and the sly but you were outsmarted by a bloody Gryffindor that was NOTHING MORE THAN A MUGGLE!!! ALL OF YOU WILL BE PUNISHED FOR YOUR FAILURE!!!”

Harry turned his attention to the prisoner. “As for you, I had hoped that your precious godson would be able to physically witness your death but this will have to do,” he spat as he pulled out his wand. He approached the prisoner and pulled the bag off to reveal the face of fear filled face of Sirius Black.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” the women cried.

“That’s not me! That’s not me! He said the prisoner was trembling in fear and I wouldn’t give Voldemort the satisfaction! Harry, that’s a trick!”

“It’s such a shame that the-boy-who-lived must become an orphan once again,” he said mockingly. “I’ll be sure to tell your godson ‘hello’ for you.”

Sirius tried to break free from the two Death Eaters and was instantly hit with a Crutiatus Curse. Pain coursed through Harry’s body but no screams reached his ears. Both Sirius and Harry seemed to be using every bit of strength they had to remain silent. Harry was barely aware of the warmth against his chest coming from the pendants he had received from his birthday. He wanted to hold it but couldn’t bring his body to move. Finally, the wand was lowered and the pain lessened dramatically. Sirius looked up and glared hatefully. There were a few bruises on his face and his bottom lip was bleeding. Whatever happened, Harry knew Sirius had put up a fight.

“Okay, maybe that is me,” Sirius said in a small voice. Remus hugged him close and started rubbing his back.

“You’ll be okay Padfoot.”

Harry knew what was coming as the yew wand with a phoenix feather core rose and pointed at Sirius’ head. He wanted to stop this. He needed to stop this somehow but he was too exhausted and in too much pain to do anything but watch. He wanted to tell Sirius to run for it but the words were stuck in his throat. He had never felt so helpless in his entire life. It was just like Remus all over again. He was too late for Sirius just like he was too late to for Remus.

The pain from his forehead started to decrease but not before Harry heard: “Avada Kedavra” but this time it was Voldemort’s hateful voice who said it and not his own. Green light flooded in followed quickly by darkness. Opening his eyes, Harry found himself surrounded by shrubs once again and couldn’t hold back the despair that consumed him. This was not supposed to be happening! None of this was supposed to be happening! Sirius was supposed to be safe at home, not captured by Voldemort!

Mr. Potter held Mrs. Potter as she cried desperately and James held Lily. Remus had never let Sirius go and was surprised when his friend was ripped from his embrace by the two females who had proceeded to hold tight to him while they all cried. Coughing to clear his throat and hide his misted eyes Mr. Potter kept reading.

At that moment Harry wanted nothing more than to die. The pain in his heart was excruciating. Sirius and Remus had been his entire life. What was he supposed to do without them? How was he supposed to survive without them? He could still see the fear in Sirius’ eyes. Fear that he had never remembered seeing before. Fear that he never knew existed…

Wait a minute! Was it possible? Was this just another trick? Could he dare to hope? Could Sirius actually be alive and this was just a ploy to make Harry do something incredibly stupid…again?

“Yes, yes,” Mrs. Potter nodded hopefully as she patted Sirius head. “A trick. You are fine honey,” she finished to Sirius.

Harry didn’t know what to do. He really didn’t think he could take any more pain. This was so much worse than the Cruciatus Curse. Nothing could compare to the pain that losing your family. Was this what Sirius and Remus had felt when the Potter’s had been killed? How in the world had they managed to keep going?

Lily hiccupped a little sob and James hugged her again with a sad expression. Mr. and Mrs. Potter looked haunted at the thought of their son’s death.

Several soft cracking noises quickly pulled Harry out of his thoughts. He knew that sound. It was the sound of Apparating. Reaching in his robes, Harry wrapped his fingers around the sword resting by his left hip. It no longer mattered who had arrived. Harry’s mind had retreated to the basic instinct of survive and protect.

“You there,” a familiar voice called out. “What are you doing here?”

Harry slowly rose to his feet, ignoring the sparks of pain that came from the movement, and turned to see four individuals standing a safe distance away from him with their wands out. He couldn’t make out their faces in the darkness but he could tell that there were three wizards and one witch. The witch was thin but not overly so. The three wizards were lean but had enough muscle on them to make them appear intimidating. “What I am doing here is my business,” Harry said coolly. “It would be best if you let me be.”

“Yeah, just sod off,” Remus muttered wiping his reddened eyes with the back of his hand. The other five people on the room were so shocked at Remus telling someone to ‘sod off’ that Mrs. Potter forgot to reprimand him.

One of the wizards took a step forward and raised his wand to point at Harry’s chest. “It would be best if you identified yourself,” he said. “We will not hesitate to use force if necessary.”

And neither will I. Harry knew he had heard that voice before but he couldn’t remember from where. “That’s easy for you to say considering that it’s four against one,” Harry countered. “Perhaps you should introduce yourselves first.”

“Yeah, you, you… rude people!” Sirius cried.

“I’ll let that lame insult pass on the grounds that he is still in shock,” James whispered to Lily who giggled in a sad way.

“Maybe ve should just stun him,” one of the wizards said quietly. “If he could help us find Harry…”

“Harry?” Mr. Potter asked perking up. “Not Potter?”

Harry’s eyes widened. He definitely knew that voice. There was no mistaking the voice of a fellow former champion. “Viktor?” he asked cautiously as he took a step forward. He couldn’t believe it. What was Viktor Krum doing in London? “Viktor Krum?” With shaky hands, Harry released his hold on his sword, lifted his hands up and pushed back his hood to reveal his face.

Viktor raised his wand and light filled the alley. Harry raised his hand to shield his eyes from the light but before he succeeded he found himself pulled into a fierce embrace. Pain screamed through his body causing Harry to cry out. He was instantly released and fell to his knees gasping for breath. Lights flashed in front of his eyes but after blinking for a few moments, everything returned to normal. Someone knelt down in front of him and rested a gentle hand on his shoulder. Looking up, Harry paled at the sight of Sirius’ concerned face

“YES!” Sirius cried jumping up. “I’m alive!” James joined him in standing and jumping with him and hugging him. Remus brought the two down on the bed and they fell on top of each other. Mr. and Mrs. Potter and Lilly were laughing happily at them.

 before pulling out his sword and positioning it in front of Sirius’ neck.

“Er, Harry?” Lily asked worried.

Sirius stared at Harry in shock before nervously looking down at the sword. “Harry, what are you doing?” he asked. “It’s me. It’s Midnight. Don’t you remember?”

Harry’s hands were shaking as he tried to keep the sword in place. Why did the sword feel so heavy all of a sudden? “In the past three days I have had my entire world ripped out from under my feet,” he said in a shaky voice. “I just saw you die by Voldemort’s hand so forgive me if I don’t take anything on face value. If you’re really Sirius Black then you’ll have no problem proving it.”

Sirius nodded slightly and with a pop, a large, shaggy black dog was sitting where Sirius had been.

“Illegal activity,” Mr. Potter mumbled. “My own children.”

“Aw, Mr. P,” Sirius cooed. “I knew you loved me!”

 That was all it took for Harry to drop the sword and wrap his arms around the dog’s neck. Tears filled his eyes as the realization of everything hit him at full force. Sirius was still alive. Voldemort had failed. It really had been a lie, a trick to make Harry do something stupid. It wasn’t real. That look on Sirius’ face wasn’t real.

With another pop, Sirius was back and carefully wrapped his arms around Harry. “Thank Merlin you’re okay,” he said as he buried his face in Harry’s messy hair. “How did you escape? What were you thinking? Where have you been? Do you have any idea what it’s been like not knowing whether you were alive or dead for the past month? How could you leave like that?”

“Honestly, you don’t have the months that will take for Harry to explain,” Remus said. “GET OUT OF THERE!”

“I’m sorry,” Harry said weakly. His arms relaxed as he felt the rest of his strength leaving him. After so long, he was too tired to do anything. He just wanted to sleep but he feared that if he did, he would wake up to find this all a dream. The last thing he wanted was to be back as Voldemort’s prisoner. “I’m so sorry. I—I was just trying to protect you.”

“Protect me?” Sirius asked in confusion. “Harry, I’m supposed to be protecting you. I’m the adult here. If something had been wrong you should have said something and we would have faced it together with the Order as backup if it was necessary.” Sirius let out a shaky breath. “We’ve always faced problems as a team. Why couldn’t you trust us this time?”

A hand rested on Sirius’ shoulder as the witch knelt down, her face and short purple hair finally being revealed. “Sirius, we should get Harry back to Headquarters,” interrupted Tonks as she picked up the sword Harry dropped. “Harry needs a healer and Dumbledore needs to be notified. There will be plenty of time to ask questions later.”

“Yes, smart girl!” Mrs. Potter praised.

“Is that Nymphadora?” Mr. Potter asked.

“Yep, she’s an Auror,” Sirius said proudly and Mr. Potter paled significantly.

“That girl is a menace,” he whispered and James turned to Lily.

“See? What did I say?”

“No!” Harry protested as he tried to break free of Sirius’ hold but failed. “I can’t go back there! Please!”

Sirius carefully repositioned Harry so their eyes could meet. The confusion on Sirius’ face was undeniable. “Harry, we need to keep you safe,” he said firmly. “Headquarters is the only place that Voldemort can’t reach you.”

Harry shook his head as he desperately grabbed hold of Sirius’ shirt. “You don’t understand,” he said painfully as his gaze fell to the ground. “Voldemort…he’s in my head. He’s always been in my head. Occlumency never worked. He’s been there the entire time waiting and then after Remus…” Harry couldn’t stop the tears from falling. How could he convince them on something he couldn’t even explain? “He’ll find out about Headquarters. He’ll know…I can’t…I can’t go back there. Please, I just wanted to make sure you were safe and not captured.”

“Well there’s nothing we can do about it now, Harry,” Sirius said leaving no room for argument. “I’m not leaving you to fend for yourself so you have no choice but to come home. Right now healing your injuries is what’s important. If I have to stun you and charm the house to keep you there, I will,” Sirius glanced at Tonks who nodded in agreement. “Now, can you walk, Harry?” Harry nodded reluctantly and was slowly helped to his feet by Sirius and Tonks. Sirius wrapped an arm around Harry’s waist while Tonks held on to Harry’s left arm. “All right, just close your eyes, Harry.”

“Finally!” James sighed relieved.

Harry did as he was told and suddenly everything went black. He felt like he was being pressed very hard from all directions; he could not breathe, there were iron bands tightening around his chest; his eyeballs were being forced back into his head; his eardrums were being pushed deeper into his skull. A split second later it was over and Harry was ushered forward by Sirius and Tonks. He was still consumed with fear about returning to Headquarters. The pain from his scar had decreased significantly but there was still enough pain to make Harry nervous. Everything about this made him nervous. He really wished he knew for certain if Voldemort was still in his head or not. He hated not knowing whether he was a danger to others or not.

“We’re almost there, Harry,” Sirius said reassuringly as they stepped on the worn stone steps of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place with Charlie Weasley leading the way.

Charlie pulled out his wand and tapped on the door once. Several loud, metallic clicks were heard before the door creaked open. Charlie hurried in, followed by Sirius and Tonks who helped Harry inside with Viktor bringing up the rear. The door was closed as quietly as possible to prevent Mrs. Black from waking. Silence was maintained as they passed Mrs. Black’s covered portrait and continued towards the kitchen.

“Charlie, use the fire to call Dumbledore and Poppy,” Sirius said quietly as he and Tonks half carried Harry into the kitchen. “Viktor, grab the first aid kit.”

The two wizards nodded and did as they were told while Sirius and Tonks carefully removed the Death Eater robe Harry was wearing. Harry couldn’t bring himself to protest even if he wanted to. Haziness had set in along with sparks of dizziness. He felt like he was trapped in a fog of his own dread. He knew he would have to face everyone and also knew that they could never understand why. How could they understand what it had been like to lose a guardian only to hear the voice of someone long gone telling you that your remaining guardian would die if you stayed? They would never understand how important family was to Harry. Family was everything. Those moments when he had thought Sirius had been killed…

“Just hang on, Harry,” Sirius said gently as he removed the chest harness. “Merlin, you certainly were prepared for a fight. I guess we were lucky you recognized Viktor’s voice.” Receiving no response whatsoever, Sirius glanced nervously at Tonks before he pulled out a chair and helped Harry sit down. He bit his lower lip as he knelt down in front of Harry and carefully removed Harry’s shirt in order to see what damage had been done. “Snape told us everything, Harry,” he continued, eager to fill the silence. “We know that Voldemort tricked you by pretending to be James that night and we know that he had your magic suppressed.”

“And did he tell you where to find Harry, or did he just enjoy torturing you with not being able to help and knowing Harry was being tortured?” Lily asked bitterly.

Viktor hurried into the kitchen with the first aid kit and gasped. “V—vhat did they do to him?” he asked. “He’s covered vith bruises!”

Sirius carefully checked if any ribs were broken as he looked into Harry’s clouded eyes for any sort of recognition. There was none. Harry just stared straight ahead at nothing in particular. “Viktor, hand me the smelling salts,” Sirius said nervously. Viktor did as he was told. Sirius opened the small bottle and placed it under Harry’s nose. This time there was a reaction. Harry flinched away and would have fallen out of the chair if Tonks hadn’t caught him.

Sirius set the smelling salts on the table as he looked away. “Tonks, Viktor, could you two give us a moment?” he asked in a wavering voice. Viktor nodded and left but Tonks hesitated. Sirius knew why. The past month hadn’t been easy for any of them but it had been the hardest on Sirius.

“Of course it has. I’ve been worried sick with Harry running around in the muggle world with Doc Rolands and J.J, and then Voldemort torturing him, and I didn’t sleep well last night because of that worry-“

“I think the book is referring to future Sirius who didn’t actually know where Harry was,” Remus said slowly and Sirius made an expression of dawning understanding.

“Tonks, please just trust me,” he pleaded. This time Tonks nodded and left the room. Rubbing his eyes, Sirius pulled up a chair and sat down so that he was facing his godson. “Harry, please look at me.”

Slowly, Harry’s gaze shifted until green met blue. Pain met pain. Regret met regret. Both godfather and godson knew there was so much to say but neither of them could bring themselves to speak. Harry knew that any apology would be meaningless and Sirius knew that any sort of lecture would only increase the guilt that Harry already felt. The lecture would certainly come and Harry would probably be apologizing for a long time to come.

“You know? I find myself curious to see Sirius of all people handing out a lecture,” Mr. Potter said and Sirius smiled sheepishly.

“Listen Harry, I know we have a lot to talk about,” Sirius said at last as he grabbed his wand and waved it over Harry’s wrists, banishing the dried blood.He then pulled out a roll of gauze from the first aid kit. “Running away like you did was probably the worst thing you could have done but…I guess I understand why you felt you had to leave.” Sirius gently wrapped the gauze around Harry’s left wrist and hands until it was nearly impossible to move. “You’ve always felt like it was up to you to protect everyone, but you have to understand that your father left you in my care.” Sirius moved on to Harry’s right wrist. “He would never ask you to put yourself in danger because of me.”

“Yeah! Give him the talk Sirius!” James cried.

“I must say I am impressed,” Mr. Potter nodded and Sirius puffed his chest proudly.

Harry bowed his head in shame. He didn’t know why but he felt extremely uncomfortable with how compassionate Sirius was being. A part of him wanted Sirius to be angry because he knew he deserved it. Harry deserved whatever punishment Sirius gave him for causing as much worry as he did.

“Like Padfoot will ever punish Harry,” Remus snorted and Sirius glared at him.

“I can so punish him!” he pouted.

Remus burst out laughing and Sirius pouted even more.

 He has done so much for me and all I do is cause problems. All I do is put people in danger. All I do is get people killed.

Moans could be heard.

A soft knock on the door ended the conversation. “Sirius?” Tonks asked as she opened the door partially and poked her head through the opening. “Dumbledore and Poppy are here.”

Sirius nodded as he looked over his shoulder at Tonks. “Let them in,” he said as he sealed the gauze put the access back in the first aid kit.

Harry kept his head bowed as the door opened completely. He heard several people enter and gasp. Realistically, Harry didn’t think that his injuries were that bad. Yes, he was in pain but it was nothing like what he had been in before. The pain from his scar was only a minor annoyance now which was a blessing. He didn’t know how much longer he could have handled the constant headache.

Madam Pomfrey was instantly at Harry’s side, waving her wand for a diagnosis as she placed her medical bag on the table. “Bruised ribs, minor concussion, exhaustion, dehydration, magical suppression, and strained muscles in the left shoulder,” she announced before she lowered her wand and opened her bag. “I suppose considering where you were we should be grateful you are even alive, Mr. Potter.”

“Harry’s afraid that Voldemort is in his mind, Dumbledore,” Sirius said as Madam Pomfrey reached in her bag and pulled out four vials of different colored potions. “He says that Occlumency never actually worked.”

Madam Pomfrey waved her wand again and the chair Harry was sitting in transformed into a reclining chair. “Sit back, Mr. Potter,” she ordered and waited for Harry to obey. She handed him potion after potion which Harry downed obediently, trying his best to ignore the awful taste of each one. After the third one, Harry had to work extremely hard not to lose his stomach. After the fourth potion, Harry desperately wanted someone to knock him out. He felt extremely woozy and downright ill.

Sirius’ voice quickly pulled Harry back to the realization that there were at least three other people in the room. “Are you sure this should be done now?” he asked worriedly. “Aren’t there side affects when someone’s magic is unsuppressed?”

“What? What do you want to do? If Sirius says no then it’s no!” Lily said sternly.

Harry slowly looked up at saw Professor Dumbledore looking at him sympathetically before looking directly at Sirius. “His magic may be unstable for a few days but it would give him more protection than he currently has,” Dumbledore said patiently. “Harry’s magic has always acted as defense mechanism, especially when Harry was in danger. If Voldemort were to attempt to enter Harry’s mind, his magic is really the only protection he has. He’s just too exhausted to physically fight a mental attack at the moment.”

Sirius let out a sigh. “Poppy?” he asked desperately.

“Normally I would be against such an action with a patient in Mr. Potter’s state but these aren’t normal circumstances,” Madam Pomfrey answered sincerely. “I can only say that a mental attack from You-Know-Who is the last thing Mr. Potter needs at the moment. As a matter of fact, any stress whatsoever is the last thing Mr. Potter needs.”

“Yes, we definitely want to keep Voldemort out of his mind,” Remus nodded firmly.

Harry didn’t like where this conversation was going. Unstable magic? What would that mean for his empathic ability? Having the ability had been trying at times but manageable when he only felt a hint of other people’s emotions. If he were overpowered by them…Harry shuddered at the thought. There was also the possibility of his outbursts returning. That wasn’t a favorable option either. He definitely didn’t want to hurt anyone.

“HARRY! LET THE ADULTS DECIDE!” Mrs. Potter cried annoyed.

“That’s okay honey. Don’t worry, Harry will do as they tell him,” Mr. Potter said patting her hand to calm her down. Mrs. Potter just huffed.

“I don’t like this,” Sirius said hesitantly. “You’re talking about how exhausted he is but you want to add on unstable magic in addition to what he’s already going through. If Voldemort was going to attack him wouldn’t it have happened by now?”

“Voldemort would wait until Harry is the most vulnerable and unable to retaliate before it was too late,” Professor Dumbledore answered. “He’s most likely waiting until Harry falls asleep.”

“Would be just like him!” James growled. “Stupid snake face.”

That makes sense. The majority of Harry’s visions had taken place when he was sleeping. That was why he was always told to clear his mind at night. The problem was that it hadn’t worked then with his magic why would it work now? Harry didn’t know what to think. He didn’t know what to believe. He didn’t know what to do. At the current moment, Harry had absolutely no confidence in making any sort of decision.

“That’s understandable dear, you’ve been through a terrible ordeal. Let Sirius decide,” Mrs. Potter said soothingly. Mr. Potter on the other hand was regarding teenage Sirius and pondering how wise  letting him decide anything was.

A hand waved in front of his face, pulling Harry out of his thoughts to see Sirius, Professor Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey, and Tonks looking at him worriedly. Unable to think of anything to say, Harry could only look away. What was he supposed to say? I don’t think restoring my magic would be a good idea since I recently discovered that I’m empathic and I’m afraid the overabundance of emotions would drive me insane. That would go over well.

“Yes,” Lily said. “So they can help you.”

“ARE YOU INSANE LILY?” James cried. “Don’t tell them Harry!” he begged.

“No one there will tell the ministry James,” Lily huffed.

“Better safe than sorry,” James said evenly.

Professor Dumbledore, however, seemed to pick up on Harry’s uncertainty. “Is there anything you wish to tell us, Harry?” he asked tenderly.

Harry shook his head. In the Muggle world, keeping secrets had been mandatory. No one believed in magic let alone the ability to sense someone else’s emotions and the ability to heal. Would it have to be the same in the wizarding world? He had never heard of anyone with any kind of specific abilities like this before. This sort of thing wasn’t normal, that much was clear. How would people react? How would Sirius react?

“I don’t care Harry, tell me!”

“You know, that is quite weird,” Remus said. “I mean we are reading about Sirius not knowing something while he knows,” he finished pointing at Sirius. The others nodded.

Sirius pulled up a chair and sat down next to Harry. No words were said as Sirius wrapped an arm around Harry’s shoulders and pulled him close. It was a simple action that made Harry crumble instantly. He had never been so confused in his entire life. He just didn’t know what to do anymore about anything. He barely felt someone taking his left arm, placing it on the table and holding it in place. All that he was actually aware of was the fact that his godfather, the man who had every reason to hate him was at his side, comforting him.

“WHY WOULD I HATE YOU HARRY?”

“Harry is very confused,” James said.

“We’ll then he better un-confuse himself!” Sirius huffed.

“Just so you know I’m only allowing this because Harry’s petrified of Voldemort being in his head,” Sirius said protectively. “You better hope there are no complications with this, Dumbledore. I didn’t get my godson back just to lose him again.”

“And I will do everything in my power to ensure that doesn’t happen,” Professor Dumbledore insisted. “I know you still blame me for what Harry has faced but I give you my word I only want the best for him. Keeping Harry safe and helping him recover are my sole concerns. Whatever side affects Harry may have from this pale in comparison to the alternative.”

“He does have a point,” Mr. Potter said grimly.

Madam Pomfrey pulled out syringe from her bag and checked to make sure there were no air bubbles. “This may sting a little, Mr. Potter,” she said sympathetically. “Try to remain still. Receiving any less than a full dose could be dangerous.”

Harry felt Sirius tighten his hold moments before he felt a prick in his left arm. Almost instantly, Harry started to feel what could only be described as a tingling sensation starting in his left arm and quickly passing through his entire body. The sensation quickly changed to pain as Harry felt his senses heighten. It was like a door had opened suddenly, allowing everything in that had been blocked out. Harry was vaguely aware that his body was shaking as emotions hit him at full force. They weren’t like gentle waves anymore. They were more like blasts of wind that couldn’t be ignored. He was instantly overwhelmed with feelings of concern, sympathy, nervousness and even fear.

Instincts overrode any sort of logical thought. Getting away from the overpowering emotions was all that mattered. Everything around him felt too alive to make any sense. Pushing Sirius away, Harry turned so quickly that he lost his balance and fell backwards out of the chair. He could vaguely hear someone cry out but he couldn’t tell who it was. Pulling himself up to all fours, Harry could only wait as magic pulsed through him along with the foreign emotions. He was just too tired to even try to fight it.

Slowly, the madness started to calm down, alerting Harry to how quiet it actually was. He raised his head to see that there were several more people in the kitchen and it was significantly brighter. He couldn’t make out who they were but at the moment it didn’t matter. They were causing him pain that made them the enemy. He was in survival mode right now. Deep down he didn’t want to hurt anyone but he needed stop the pain.

“STOP HURTING MY BABY!” Lily cried.

“They don’t know they are hurting him,” Mrs. Potter tried to explain.

“Yeah, because someone,” Sirius said slowly glaring at James, “didn’t want him to tell them.”

“Like Harry listened to me,” James snorted.

A figure tentatively moved closer, increasing the sensations of concern and bringing a new emotion…protectiveness? This person didn’t want to harm him but he was nevertheless. Harry quickly backed away from the figure and pushed out his hand in a defensive gesture, begging the man to stay away. Instantly, the blasts of foreign emotions vanished. He felt incredibly empty as everything came into focus. The room had returned to its natural lighting for Harry to see Sirius, Professor Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey, Tonks, Charlie Weasley, Professor McGonagall, and Viktor Krum through a semitransparent blue tinted barrier staring at him in shock. Harry’s eyes widened in horror. What was going on? He started to pull his hand back when Dumbledore’s voice stopped him.

“Harry, lower the shield,” Professor Dumbledore said calmly. “We won’t hurt you. You are safe now. Do you understand?”

Harry was too preoccupied with the blue tinted shield that flickered every time he moved a finger to answer. This was certainly a new development. His shock had dissolved into curiosity. This shield was actually blocking everyone’s emotions from reaching him. Harry could feel himself weakening but he didn’t dare attempt to lower the shield. He didn’t think he could handle being bombarded by all of the emotions again.

As rational thought returned, questions started to filter in Harry’s mind. How was he doing this…without a wand? This wasn’t summoning a wand or even minor healing. This was a powerful shield that was normally difficult to create with a wand. He knew he was in the middle of a magical outburst but he still shouldn’t be able to do this. What did it mean? Was this related to the oddity that Death Eater…McDaniels had discovered?

No. No it can’t be.

Reluctantly, Harry lowered his hand and watched as the shield vanished. Emotions quickly washed over him but it wasn’t as forceful as before. The emotions had dimmed slightly allowing Harry to actually focus on those who were currently watching him but he knew he wouldn’t be able to withstand it for long. The sooner he could find some solitude the better although he had a feeling that solitude was the last thing he was going to be granted.

Arms wrapped around him, pulling Harry into a firm chest. He didn’t have to look to know who was holding him. Burying his face in Sirius’ chest, Harry closed his eyes and tried to ignore the concern, protectiveness and love that were pulsating off of the man. Any thought that Sirius would hate him for what had happened was forgotten.

“Sirius, stop trying to suffocate yourself with the pillow. It’s completely pointless, you are sitting up, all that will achieve is you’ll faint, dropping the pillow and therefore starting to breath again,” Mr. Potter said flatly.

“But Mr. P,” Sirius whined. “Look what Harry is thinking. ME? Hating him?”

“Calm down Paddy,” Remus patted Sirius back. “Harry will see the light…eventually.”

That acknowledgement allowed Harry to do something he hadn’t done in a long time…relax. The pain from his scar was lessening to only an annoyance which was a relief. He was too tired to even attempt to fight off a mental attack at the moment.

Slowly the emotions faded until they were once again gentle waves that served as a comfort rather than a headache. It didn’t matter that there were people in the room talking about him. All that mattered was that he felt safe and protected for the first time in a long time. He couldn’t bring himself to worry what tomorrow would bring because at the moment he was at the one place he had so desperately wanted to be at. He was home.

“Finally!” the six cried together.