Sirius Black sucked in a deep breath before knocking on Minerva's office door. He had written and sent off a letter to the editor of the Daily Prophet a few hours ago informing him that as the majority owner of the Daily Prophet he would require them to do several things, firstly any article about Harry had to be sent to him for approval before it could be published and any articles written by on Remus Lupin were to be published in the paper in a place which he specified, and lastly they were not to mention this to anyone and were to continue business as usual except in regard to these new regulations.
That would take care of the publicity stage, most of the wizards and witches trusted the Prophet implicitly and anything published there they were likely to believe and agree with. Therefore he had the perfect platform to start his subtle campaign to try to persuade people that Dumbledore needed to retire and his first key article would appear in a week's time, on Dumbledore's 174th birthday.
Discover moreApp download campaignsWriting forum accessAnime & MangaFan fiction booksFictionPress integrationBut now he had another job to do, and one that was liable to be just as hard as the one he had handed to Remus, namely begin to get the Hogwarts staff onto his side without either tipping Dumbledore off or alienating them.
"Come in," Minerva called, her voice marked by her distinctive Scottish burr. Sirius squared his shoulders before pushing the door open. The Deputy Head glanced up in confusion, "What is it Sirius?" She asked before an exasperated expression crossed her face, "Tell me the Weasley Twins haven't been acting up in your classes too?" Sirius chuckled as he took the vacant seat,
"What have they done now? But to answer your question they haven't been that bad, a bit mystified why the schemes they try to pull are backfiring on them, but there's nothing like a challenge to keep ones skills sharp." Minerva groaned at the last sentence but she answered the question anyway,
"They let off fireworks in history and, I don't know how they got the nerve to do this, but they smeared every teacher's chair – including Serverus's – with a potion that causes you to speak in pig latin for an hour." Sirius raised his eyebrows, impressed.
"I had wondered what the substance on my chair was, and why both of them refused to speak that class – I'm in the habit of transferring any pranks they set up to trap me to them, provided it is something that is transferable of course." McGonagall looked at him incredulously for a moment before bursting out in laughter.
"It's good to see somebody can get those rascals back with their own pranks," she said eventually, "Although that is not something I can condone. But if you aren't here to complain about them what do you need?"
Discover moreMobile fanfiction appComicsAuthor toolsWriter communityCartoonsSirius sighed, she had never been one for beating around the bush and it was just going to make the coming conversation harder, "I'm concerned about Dumbledore actually," he said slowly, "Dumbledore and his interest in Harry." He saw her eyes widen and as quick as a flash her wand was up and casting what he recognised as Auror grade privacy spells.
"What do you mean?" She demanded the instant the room was secured. Sirius didn't answer straight away, instead he pulled his thoughts together before he started to speak.
"Dumbledore seems to have some sort of interest in Harry and quite frankly its worrying. We both know that he was responsible for placing him with the Dursleys and I presume he was Harry's magical guardian and was making the decisions surrounding him, but now that I have taken the role he doesn't seem to be letting go, rather if anything he is becoming more controlling."
Minerva looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, "I can understand where you are coming from, he always seemed to have an interest in Harry, asking for reports and similar but I never thought anything of it before,"
Sirius nodded, "I don't think I realised quite far he was willing to go until recently, I mean I knew that he had been keeping Harry's heritage from him..." He trailed off at her furious expression.
"He told me when I enquired that he had personally sat Harry down and explained his positions and heritage when he was eleven!"
Sirius shook his head emphatically, "He did nothing of the sort, when we went to Gringotts in the summer Harry didn't even know he had more vaults than his trust vault, or that the Potter's had a Lordship!"
"What is that man playing at?" She exclaimed heatedly, "Not only did he lie to us he was purposefully keeping Harry in the dark!" She pulled herself together, "I am sorry I have failed both Harry and you again Sirius, I never dreamt that Albus might stoop so low."
"That isn't all he's done," Sirius added, his voice full of anger, "He left Harry at the Dursleys when he suspected, if not outright knew that Harry was being neglected and abused!"
Her faced paled so rapidly that you would have been forgiven for thinking that she was a ghost. "He knew?" she managed to croak out. Sirius's nod was all the answer she needed. Abruptly as she had lost it, her colour returned in the form of angry red slashes across her cheeks as she pulled herself up. "That utter bastard," she hissed. "He persuaded me to leave the boy there with promises that he was safe and loved, and assured me again when Harry came to Hogwarts but all this time he's being lying." She shook her head in disbelief, "I can't believe the man I respected so much and thought I knew, could do such a thing."
"He was supposed to be the infallible leader," Sirius agreed, "Leader of the Light but all the time he's been manipulating the situation." He sighed, "But honestly Minerva I feel that he never stopped being a war leader. He's still trying to run a war and plan, and unfortunately not only does that mean he's neglected the school, but he's placed Harry at the heart of his plans and that is something I will not allow."
Discover moreBooks & LiteratureAnimeBook recommendationsFan fiction platformFiction writing guides"I don't blame you," she said crisply, "I presume that because you are speaking to me you are intending to go up against him?" The words were measured, displaying no hint of her real emotions but her eyes glinted so fiercely that he knew she was in his corner.
He inclined his head, "You assume correctly. His plans are threatening Harry and that is something I will not him let him do." His eyes shone with black fire and nobody could doubt the sincerity of his words.
"He's got too much power Minerva and his priority isn't in any of them. He's either got the lead the war, be Headmaster, be Chief Warlock or Britain's representative on the ICW, he can't be all four, each job shouldn't be held by one man, not to mention he is getting older and if he is killed - which if he ends up going against Voldemort is a likely possibility – everything would be thrown into disarray. It can't go on and although I'm removing him for Harry's sake it will benefit Britain as a whole."
McGonagall nodded thoughtfully, "And the reason you are telling me this is because?"
"He's a danger to Harry," Sirius said bluntly, "And I will not stand by while he hurts my son further, he has done far too much damage already." He pulled in a deep breath, unsure how she would take his next words, "And I intend to remove him from his positions of power, completely legally of course, so that he can no longer hurt anyone with his plans and manipulations."
He saw that she was nodding thoughtfully at his words and that gave him the courage to continue, "But I know removing him will leave Hogwarts vulnerable to those power grabbing fools at the Ministry and I am not willing for that to happen. They have no business meddling in Hogwarts and I want it to remain that way." He paused and Minerva continued for him,
"And you want me to ensure that Hogwarts can settle the issue of Headmaster quickly without giving the Ministry any chance of getting their claws in, and to ensure that we are prepared so everything runs as smoothly as possible."
Sirius nodded immediately, "Hogwarts must be strong, and you are the best person to ensure that because not only do you know the other professors well, you are also the Deputy Head so you are the expert on how the school is run. I would not presume to think I have anything near the level of knowledge required to do so."
"I should think not Black!" she exclaimed but she nodded sharply, "I will be happy to help you. The safety of the students is my first priority and as much as I hate thinking about what my old friend has become and what must be done, I know it is necessary." Her expression turned pensive, "I can't help but wonder what changed from the Albus I used to know, or whether he had pulled the wool over our eyes even then." She sighed, and Sirius stood a little awkwardly, not knowing what to say to the older woman.
"Thank you," he told her finally. She smiled at little wanly at him,
"You don't need to thank me Sirius, as I said the student's wellbeing is the first and last priority for any teacher, and" her voice dropped until he had to strain to hear it, "I need to ask for your forgiveness once more, it seems I have failed with regards to Harry once again." There was silence for a few moments then her eyes flashed fire, "But I will not stand around whilst students could be in danger, and will not allow myself to fail again!"
Sirius couldn't do more than incline his head. "I know you will Minerva."
They spoke about more inconsequential things for a few minutes, their opinions on the different students, the problems that had been encountering with certain students, the arrangement for the exams, and the fact she needed a copy of the papers he intended to set and if he was going to do a practical portion what were the plans for that, etc. But it wasn't more than fifteen minutes later that Sirius took his leave, with a request to speak again sometime in the next couple of weeks and greatly relieved he had the older woman securely in his corner.
The three teens waited a touch impatiently in Sirius's quarters. He had promised the he would restart their lessons that day once classes were finished and they were all eager to get started. During the summer they had all started to make progress, and they had all managed to cover their bodies in fur, Harry also managing to transform one of his hands into a paw, although Hermione wasn't far behind. The practices had fallen by the wayside once they had returned to Hogwarts, mainly because of the tournament debacle although Hermione had continued her research into her animal as the books told her she ought to do.
After just five minutes, although it seemed a lot longer to the teens, Sirius stepped through the portrait hole and grinned as he spotted the three faces staring at him eagerly. "Hello you rascals," he greeted at them, smiling down at his son to lessen the verbal blow. Looking at the excitement in their faces he decided it was too good an opportunity to pass up, "Is there any reason that you have decided to invade my quarters today?" He asked.
Three faces looked at him completely scandalised but Harry glanced at him inquisitively before suddenly realising he was teasing. "Dad!" His voice was full of indignation and Sirius couldn't help but chuckle as he reached out to ruffle his son's hair. Harry ducked but he couldn't escape and his face burned red as Sirius succeeded in making his hair stand up even more than it normally did. As Harry made a noise of protest Sirius smiled down at him, still in a slightly teasing mood, "Now what kind of Dad would I be if I didn't embarrass you in front of your friends?" He asked lightly and he was rewarded with a smile from Harry albeit one that contained fading hints of his annoyance, even as he heard Ron snort.
Dropping the teasing he moved to face the teens, "I know you are all excited but the rules from the summer still stand – you can do as much research as you want but you are not to try out any part of the transformation unless I'm present understood?" He waited until they had all nodded before continuing, "I know I told you this before, but there are so many ways that this can go wrong I am amazed we managed it without hurting ourselves badly and I am not going to put any of you at risk." His eyes couldn't help but stray to Harry and he knew his son had heard the message he was not willing to say in front of the other teens.
Once he saw the understanding and recognition dawn in all three sets of eyes he smiled at them, "Let's see what you remember, I want you to cover your skin in fur, and Harry see if you transform your hand. Once you've managed that we'll start working on some new stuff."
Harry exchanged an excited grin with his best friends. He had understood the underlying warning in Sirius's words but at the moment he was content to forget that and enjoy trying to learn more about the animagus transformation. It was difficult to call the fur to his skin and even harder to change his hand into a paw, it had been several months since he had last tried the transformation and during that period the magic had become rusty and it had taken a little longer than usual to pull the wolf into his mind and force the change. However no more than a few minutes later his body was covered in fur and in the place of his hand was a large paw, complete with dangerous claws.
Beside him he could see Hermione was also covered in the mottled fur of the Scottish Wildcat and Ron was virtually covered, with the fur reaching his knees and moving slowly downwards, his face contorted into an expression of pure concentration he had only ever seen on his friend's face when playing chess. Harry felt his father's eyes on him and he turned slightly, catching the proud smile Sirius sent him. In the next instant Ron finally managed to cover himself with black fur and Sirius turned back to the lesson.
"Good work all of you," he praised them, "A little rusty but that's only to be expected. Now then; Harry I want you to work on transforming the other hand, now you've done one the other should be easier, Hermione I need you to start working on your first hand – I expect that to take a little longer than Harry will, you've yet to try at that aspect of the transformation, and finally Ron," he turned to the other boy who was looking a little downcast,
"I know you're struggling a little but believe me you aren't far off changing your hands. You need to work on transforming your skin in one go before you can move on, but once you get that far I believe things will get easier, a chimp's anatomy isn't too different from a human's which will make everything that much easier." He won a rueful smile out of the boy as Ron started to practice.
"It might be easier but I'll bet it'll still be bloody hard work!" He exclaimed before trying to focus once again, ignoring Harry's quiet sniggers and Hermione' exasperated,
"Ronald!"
Sirius chuckled along with the teens for a few moments before a raised eyebrow sent them hurrying to practice. For the next hour the room was near silent with only Sirius's quiet conversations with whichever teen was struggling breaking the quiet. When the hour was up it was three tired teens that clambered up groaning from the floor as they stretched muscles that had gone to sleep during the time they had spent sitting absolutely still on the floor.
"I'd forgotten how tired that makes me," Hermione commented a little ruefully and her words were met with a chorus of agreement from the other two. Sirius smiled at them, then he reached for a bar of chocolate he had bought knowing exactly what the lesson would do to them and with a loud snap broke it into three pieces before handing them out. "That should give you enough energy to last until supper," he told them.
A chorus of thank you's met his ears and he smiled indulgently as he watched them scoff down the pieces, his eyes lingering on his son. He felt fierce pride well up inside as he thought of what his son was doing. Harry was mastering the transformation quickly, it had taken both him and James nearly a year to get the stage Harry was at now and they had practiced more. He was aware that it helped them having an instructor they could go to, but it didn't stop the pride he felt for his son. What he had done to be blessed with a child as special as Harry he didn't know. He felt like he was the luckiest man alive, that he could look at the teens and say that Harry was his son.
That feeling was only intensified when Harry looked up at him, his eyes sparkling with happiness even as they conveyed his thanks for the lesson and allowing his friends to join in. A smile spread across Sirius's face and he reached out, ruffling Harry's hair, pleased when the child didn't pull away even though he knew it was ordinary for teenagers to start pulling away at this age. Call him selfish but he had been without Harry for so long that now that he was here, and he was his, he was loath to let him go, particularly with the threat of Dumbledore hanging over his head, and thinking of the threat:
The first phase of the plan was set in motion. Remus was earning every knut nearly twenty times over, he had already unearthed a great deal of information and his first article was due to hit the papers tomorrow. Minerva was doing admirably with her colleagues, not only had she provided them with useful information she had been quietly talking with the other professors and looking over the school. Already she had identified several things that she wanted to change and improve, subjects to reduce in importance, some to remove entirely, others to bring back and other plans for a reserve Quiddich team. Minerva was just as fanatical as the rest of them when it came to the sport and she had long been of the opinion that six matches a year was far too few.
No the plan was working nicely and if all went well Harry would be safe by next September, and as Sirius watched the teens laughing and joking from their positions on the sofa's, and noting in particular the way his son's eyes shone, he knew he would do anything to protect him.
The article that dominated the front pages of the Prophet that morning took many people, including the Headmaster completely off guard, for once not written by Rita Skeeter the article was soon being passed around as less than fugitive looks were being directed at the High Table and Dumbledore in particular. Sirius, curious as to precisely what his friend had written snagged a paper from one of the owls before he scanned the article, working hard to keep his face neutral.
174 Years in Our Service Unrewarded?
Dumbledore has been the pillar of our society for over a hundred years. He has proved his dedication to the British Wizarding World multiple times, with not only his famous defeat of Gimmwauld but the outstanding work he has done as the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, the British Representative of the ICW and the Headmaster of Hogwarts. There can be no debate on the time and effort he has put into our society but we must now ask ourselves what have we ever done to show him the appreciation he deserves?
Dumbledore is today celebrating his 174th birthday, a date which marks over 130 years of service but today we are forced to announce that this service has gone shockingly unrewarded.
Instead of allowing him the rest from his endeavours, at the age of 174, an age many witches and wizards would be thrilled to reach, we still expect him to do the jobs of three men and to continue to protect and guide our society. We do not give him the reprieve he deserves instead we, an ungrateful society allow ourselves to continue to foist responsibility onto his back, giving him tasks to manage that should be the responsibility of several men not just one.
It is to his utter credit that Dumbledore has not complained, instead he has continued to serve, committed to his duty unless we release him from it but we at the Prophet say no more! It is time to give the hero of our society the recognition he deserves, and give him the rest and break from his duties that he has earned. We call for you, the witches and wizards of Great Britain to allow our hero to step down and enjoy the remaining years of his life, unburdened by the responsibilities which we, the ungrateful society have thrust upon him.
We have failed him but we still have the opportunity to right this wrong. What better birthday present could we give our hero than the opportunity to enjoy the rest of his life?
Remus had not signed it, Sirius knew his name would instantly tip Albus off, but his old friend had done a remarkable job. He had never once criticised Dumbledore, the man held too much sway among the people, instead he had used the position Dumbledore occupied in society and exploited that to twist it and make everyone think that they owed him to allow him to retire and step down, and he sown the seeds to make people think they would need to make him step down, as he was too tied to his 'duties' to abandon them.
He knew then that he had been utterly correct in giving this task to Moony, and he made a silent note to give the old wolf a bonus, without him noticing of course, for a job that was brilliantly done. From the snippets of conversation he was picking up from the tables closest to him he could see that the article was being taken seriously and many seemed to be echoing the opinion that Remus had carefully presented.
Out of the corner of his eye he noticed that Dumbledore had just started to read the article and he saw both the shock and a sudden flash of unease cross his face. He fought the urge to smile, instead he concentrated on his breakfast and quickly struck up a conversation with Filius about the former's experience on the duelling circuit and whether he would be able to come and join him at the duelling master class he intended give the students in a few weeks.
It worked, not only was he treated to a fascinating conversation, and obtained his colleagues agreement to join him that weekend – and maybe even show the students a formal duel, when Albus looked over in his direction he was occupied and there was no sign on his face that he had had any input in the article whatsoever, although he wouldn't have been surprised if this put the man even further on his guard. But, he thought with satisfaction, there was nothing he could do to stop the Prophet publishing, and there were too many in both the Ministry and Wizengamot who wanted him to lose power that would seize on this opportunity to depose him without upsetting the public.
Almost abruptly Dumbledore stood, and strode out of the hall, every eye following him. Although his expression was composed, even serene it was easy enough to guess that the man was seething under the surface, he was too clever not to recognise this for what is was, namely an effort to depose him. As soon as he was gone the room exploded into chatter and unobtrusively Minerva caught his eye and raised an eyebrow questioningly. Sirius inclined his head slightly in response and he saw her eyes widen slightly as the full impact of what he was planning hit her. Sirius turned back to his breakfast with the full expectation that she would request a meeting in the near future, but he knew that his plans were not going to change. He would give it a few days to obtain a response then the next set of articles would go out.
Sirius smiled down at the eager face of his son. It was their first control lesson and Harry had been looking forward to this all week, and Sirius had to confess he had too. Although the lessons were overshadowed by the long reach of the tournament there was still something immensely special about the control lessons for the Black family. Taking place from father to son, mother to daughter as they had for centuries they represented something remarkable to the family and even though he had fiercely rebelled against his family, his control lessons had been the only time he had ever felt included and valued.
In those lessons everything it was to be a Black came through, the pride, the fierce protectiveness towards their own, their duty towards magic, shared history. His father and mother, heck most of his family had twisted it, forced things to be about blood purity but in those lessons Sirius had seen some of what it truly meant to be a Black and he knew that was what he was going to pass onto his son. If he was honest with himself, he knew it was only the control lessons and the glimpses of what his family could be that had kept him at home as long as he had.
Forcefully he pushed away his memories. He had known that these sessions would dredge up memories but he would be damned if he would let the memories of what he had endured in his parent's house spoil these sessions for Harry. He sat down, gesturing for Harry to join him on the sofa. They would practice with the magic but there were several things that Harry needed to know first before it would be safe for him even to attempt to wield the magic.
Harry slid quickly into the indicated seat, his eyes fixed on his father as he waited for Sirius to speak. Sirius smiled at him and looped an arm around the boy's shoulder as he started to speak. "The first thing you need to understand pup is unlike other gifts, our ability to control ambient magic is tied directly to our magic and minds. That ability – the ambient magic itself is part of us and it will always be part of us." He saw that Harry was watching him avidly and he continued,
"But the magic itself is more than that. While the Black Family have the ability to use the old magics, which I'll teach you about when you take the Headship of the Potter family, unlike the other old families we do not have our own representative in the old magic, instead we have the ambient magic." At his son's slightly quizzical expression he continued,
"The representatives in the old magic do exactly what they say – represent their families, they contain their strengths and their histories, personifying what has strengthened their families. For the Blacks that is contained in the ambient magic." He saw Harry's eyes widen with understanding.
"You'll understand properly when you experience it, but when you wield the magic outside of rage and anger you can feel that, feel the history and despite what my parents thought there is nothing on blood purity but rather the protectiveness, sense of family, duty and pride. Contained within the memory of the magic is the history of the Blacks, now your history too."
He paused for a moment, memories of his own childhood flashing through his mind, and the hate he had felt for his family and their dark history, but also the pride he had felt when first wielding the magic when he realised just what his family could have been, and what they still could be. And he added silently, what he was now going to make the house of Black to be.
A touch on his arm pulled him out of his thoughts and he looked up to see the concerned face of his son staring down at him. "It's alright Harry," he murmured, "I just got a little lost in my memories, that's all." A ghost of a smile touched his lips, but he could see that his son still didn't look that convinced. Reaching out he pulled the boy into a loose embrace, pleased when the child hugged him back. "I'm alright pup," he whispered, "You don't need to worry about me." Harry looked at him steadily for a moment, as if evaluating him before he nodded and the last of Sirius's black thoughts flew away in the face of his son's obvious concern and affection.
Smiling down at Harry he clambered to his feet and gestured Harry to follow. "I'll wake the magic inside you first, calling it myself so you know how it feels and it gets used to being channelled through you. Then we can work on calling the magic yourself and subsequent control over it." He saw Harry nod his understanding then he stepped forward, placing his hand squarely over his child's heart and calling to the magic inside both him and his son.
It was difficult, if the ambient magic was anything it was emotion based and was always easiest to manipulate when your emotions were high. Trying to call it like this, when the magic had never been called before and when neither of them were feeling intense strain or emotion was the hardest thing he had done with the magic since his own control lessons.
The magic fought his grasp, writhing and twisting away in an effort to escape his grasp but eventually his own magic got a grip and pulled. The surge of magic that flew out of Harry was enough to throw him across the room. Expecting the resistance of the magic having to find a pathway through his son's body he had pulled harder, knowing it would need more strength to extract it but contrary to his expectations the magic had flown out of his child, streaming out of pre-forged pathways.
Groaning slightly from where he had hit the floor, Sirius clambered to his feet, thankful he had had the foresight to cast cushioning charms on the floor before they began. The ease with which the magic had come pouring out of his son both concerned and shocked him. "Have you been aware of calling the magic before?" He asked as a thought occurred to him.
Instantly Harry shook his head, "I've never been aware of calling the magic until you did it just now."
Sirius frowned in puzzlement, "But there were obvious pathways for it to travel through your body," his brow furrowed as he considered the problem for a few moments before it smoothed out. "Have there been any times recently where you lost control of your emotions enough that you could have called the magic without meaning to?"
Even as he asked the question Sirius was inwardly berating himself. Control lessons started for the Blacks just after they were accepted into Hogwarts, when they could knowingly control their magic and it was less chaotic than it was in the early years. Harry, who's magic had been settling for several years would have already had that control, it would have been all too easy for Harry's emotions to get the better of him and for the magic to act up. He should have started control lessons immediately after the adoption, because if the magic had already been called it would be that much harder to teach Harry control now.
He was pulled out of his thoughts when he saw his son shift a little uncomfortably, "The second task," Harry answered, his voice barely a whisper, "When I thought I'd never get you back, I got upset and angry..." he paused and instantly Sirius was at his side, fingers threading through the child's hair soothingly even as he griped Harry's shoulder lightly. The gesture comforted them both and he saw Harry relax, letting the words he was about to say float away, even as the pieces fell together in his mind. That would have been exactly the situation he would have expected for the ambient magic to act up, although he was annoyed it had to happen in front of others.
Harry looked up suddenly, "Is that bad?" He questioned, faint worry lines creasing his forehead. Sirius pulled in a breath,
"It makes things a bit more difficult," he answered honestly, "The magic has found a path through you that it likes which will make it that much harder to control, however it would have been harder with your age anyway and I am confident that you'll be able to master it." He smiled at the child, "Just expect things to go pear shaped more than once." With a grin he remembered some of the things he'd managed to do with the ambient magic, "I even managed to turn everything in the drawing room – including my father – red and gold once and I still have no idea how I managed that."
That comment won a chuckle out of Harry, just as Sirius had intended but at the same time he knew that his son had received the warning about the ambient magic. Unexpected things happening was not only likely it was practically guaranteed and he would prefer it if neither he or Harry were caught completely off guard, although of course you never really expected what magic was capable of throwing at you.
"Alright then pup, can you remember what pulling the magic felt like?" A Harry's nod he continued, "I need you to focus on that feeling and try to replicate the pulling yourself. I'll do it with you this time, to try and guide you but you need to be able to call it yourself. Ready?" Harry nodded, eyes serious as they regarded his father. Sirius smiled gently at him before once more placing his hand over Harry's heart and sending his magic forth, this time only gently coaxing instead of commanding.
Harry furrowed his forehead in concentration as he battled with the ambient magic, although it fed off the magic surrounding them that was present in everything the ability to control it was rooted in his own magic, and it was the ability to control the magic within him to direct the ambient magic within him that was difficult. Emotions could flow down the self same pathways, indeed that was the reason ambient magic responded so well to emotion but forcing the same effect with his own magic was difficult to say the least.
He grappled with it. He could feel Sirius's magic guiding his but it was still a struggle. His magic didn't want to go down those pathways; it was almost as if there was a blockage somewhere, something stopping it from flowing. He pushed more force into it, willing the magic to do his will when suddenly the barrier broke sending magic streaming out of him. Instantly the ambient magic responded, flaring up and streaking outwards. Harry fought for control but he had misjudged it, he had called too much. With an almighty wrench the magic pulled away from him, the shock throwing him backwards as he saw stars.
Deprived of magic and emotion the ambient magic melted back into the surroundings and Harry felt his own magic return, even as he blinked desperately, trying to clear his vision. Soon the spots in his eyes cleared, and groaning he pulled himself off the floor. He now knew why his father had spent several minutes casting cushioning charms over the room, because although the breath had been knocked from his body, Harry knew that he had escaped injury.
One hand fumbled for his glasses and he pulled them back on, scanning the room for his father. Worry bubbled up in his gut as he saw the animagus was lying spread-eagled on the floor by the doorframe. He hurried across the room but he was only halfway there when he saw the crimson liquid spreading slowly out from where Sirius's head had landed.
He couldn't help it. He turned away and threw up. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen injuries before, or been injured himself but this was different. His father had been injured because of him. Sirius had done so so much for him and he'd repaid that love and care by hurting him. Pushing back the bile that rose once again in his throat, his shaking legs carried him the last few meters across the room to his father's side.
Trembling he sank to his knees next to his father's prone form, and he felt the stickiness of clotting blood on his fingers as the pool of scarlet grew slowly larger. He felt disgusted with himself, how could he have done this, what sort of person hurt their father? Shaking fingers reached out, grabbing the nearest piece of cloth as he tried to find and stem the bleeding.
Sirius's blood covered his hands as he pressed the cloth to his father's head. Each drop that slipped over numb fingers made him feel worse. He kept pressing the cloth against the cut but it couldn't stem the blood that continued to flow steadily out and over increasingly trembling and crimson fingers. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know any healing spells and anyway his wand was on the other side of the room.
He could feel the panic and disgust rising in him as tears streaked down his cheeks. Panic as the blood continued to flow with no sign of stopping, his fear that his father was seriously hurt and disgust at himself for doing this to his father. He cleared his throat, "Help," he croaked out, it was barely more than a whisper and he knew that nobody would hear him but there was nothing else he could think of doing, "Help," he called again, unable to prevent his voice from quivering.
A sudden pop of a house elf's apparation startled him and he spun round to see the figure of Dobby. He didn't bother to wonder what the elf was doing in Sirius's quarters, he was just thankful that the elf was, "Dobby, get Madam Pomfrey, hurry please." He was begging and something must have shown the little elf just how serious the situation was as he popped away without a word, reappearing only seconds later with the medi-witch.
"Mr Potter what is..." Her indignation died away as her eyes took in the scene and she immediately took charge. "Step back Mr Potter and let me get a good look at him, Dobby fetch me a pain reliever, a blood replenisher and a concussion potion please."
Harry back away numbly as she bustled around his father, her wand up and casting as she cast the standard diagnosis charms, vanishing the blood and sick almost as an afterthought. A spell later the gash on Sirius's head sealed and Harry let out the breath he had been holding although his tears didn't cease or even slow.
Madam Pomfrey carefully levitated Sirius onto a sofa, placing the potions next to him. "He'll be fine Mr Potter, it wasn't as bad as it looked," she reassured him briskly, "He had a cut to the back of his head and he was knocked unconscious from the impact with the floor, and he probably has a concussion. It's nothing those potions can't fix, now would you be so kind as to tell me what on earth you were doing here?" Although the words were framed as a question there was no mistaking them for the order they were.
Harry swallowed, looking down at the floor. He didn't know what to say, his father had indicated he wasn't supposed to tell anyone about the ambient magic, and that the control lessons were special to the Black family but he knew that Madam Pomfrey was nothing if not persistent. "We were practicing some magic," he said eventually, keeping his gaze locked on the floor, "A spell went awry and it threw him across the room."
It was very near to the truth he thought defensively as the witch regarded him sceptically, all he had neglected to mention was the magic that they had actually been performing but it seemed that Madam Pomfrey was not to be deterred, "And what magic was that Mr Potter?" she asked a little waspishly.
"Family magic," A voice broke into the discussion and Harry whipped round to see his father lying on the sofa, propping himself up on one elbow. Although he was grimacing in pain Harry could see that his eyes were clear and alert, "And I can't tell you more than that Poppy," his eyes dropped to the potions on the coffee table, "Now please say there is a pain potion among this lot here that I presume I need to drink."
The medi-witch pursed her lips in an expression reminiscent of McGonagall as she nodded. It was evident that she was not pleased with the answer but she also knew enough about family magic to know that she would not get further answers out of Sirius. The expression of disapproval reduced though as Sirius reached out and swallowed the potions in quick succession. "Do cast cushioning charms next time," she suggested, a hint of terseness in her voice, "And no more family magic today if it can be avoided if at all possible."
"Don't worry," Sirius said in his driest tone, "I won't be attempting that again until I am sure every inch of this room has been covered in charms." The witch smiled at the comment before she strode out of the room, heading back to the hospital.
Harry looked down, relief and fear warring inside him. Relief that his father was alright, that he hadn't hurt him badly but at the same time the fear of what was going to happen now. He had seen Sirius's disappointment before and he knew he never wanted to see it again but at the same time he knew that he was going to be punished, he simply couldn't conceive of anything else happening. He had hurt his father and he knew if he had been at the Dursleys the beating he would have received for hurting one of them would have put the one that broke his back to shame. But to his mind the fault here was worse, if he had hurt the Dursleys it wouldn't have mattered as much because they had deserved it, but his father had done nothing to deserve what had happened, and even though he hadn't meant it that didn't change the fact of what had happened.
"Harry," the sound of his father's soft voice broke him out of his thoughts and he glanced up, only to immediately look down at the floor not wanting to see the disappointment and hurt he was sure he'd see on his father's face. "Harry, come here," He could hear the order in the words and slowly Harry started to move towards the sofa, keeping his gaze trained in the floor. Harry reached the sofa and stood by it, still refusing to meet his father's eyes, afraid of what he'd see there.
There was a sigh then his father spoke once more, his voice incredibly gentle "Pup look at me." It was the sound of his nickname that made Harry look up. Surely his father wouldn't have called him that if he was angry with him or hated him. To his surprise he saw that Sirius was sitting up, his grey eyes clear and steady as they regarded him. Seeing that his son was finally meeting his gaze Sirius smiled, although he could also see the fear there and he knew it was not purely caused by the accident.
"Come here pup," he said tenderly, holding his arms open. Instantly Sirius found his arms full of his son as Harry all but threw himself at him. Sirius tightened his grip on his child and he could feel Harry shaking, from relief or fear he couldn't tell. "Dad I'm sorry," the teen whispered and Sirius pressed a kiss onto his head.
"It's alright pup, you don't need to be sorry. It was an accident and I'm not surprised that the magic got out of your control; that was why there were cushioning charms – I just didn't do them well enough it seems." Harry chuckled weakly at that remark although the sound was a little forced. He felt his father's fingers cup his chin and draw his face up until he was looking Sirius straight in the eyes, "I'm alright Harry," he said completely seriously, "It was an accident, these things happen and do not think for one minute that I am angry with you."
Seeing nothing but sincerity and truth in his father's eyes and reassured by the gentle embrace he was being held in, Harry nodded in understanding. Grey eyes searched his for a long moment before Sirius finally released him. "Good," his father said eventually, "Well we'll work on control a little later when we've both had a chance to calm down a bit, so why don't you show me how you're getting on with your animagus form?"
Grateful for the change in subject and the opportunity to do something Harry slid out of Sirius's lap and onto the floor and threw his attention into the transformation, forcing himself to think of nothing but the transformation, of the wolf and the magic involved. Nearly an hour later he pulled himself up after managing to turn both his hands and his feet into paws. Sirius had sat watching him, occasionally offering pointers and advice and during that period all the residual tension from the accident had slowly but steadily drained away.
"Well done pup," Sirius told him, a proud smile written large across his features. "You are really picking this up quickly," he glanced over at the time before continuing, "We'll have the next control lesson tomorrow, don't worry, it should go more smoothly next time, the first few are always the most temperamental." He smiled at Harry and Harry smiled back a little warily. His father surveyed him with a critical eye, "Not to mention you are worn out. Go and eat pup and I want you in bed by nine at the latest but I suspect you'll be falling asleep long before then." Harry couldn't bring himself to argue. He could feel the fatigue in both his body and his magic, a combination of the control lesson and the animagus practice.
As fast as he could manage Harry headed for the Great Hall, arriving just in time for supper. He fended of the questions from his friends with the simple, "The magic was quite advanced, it took a lot out of me." With Ron and Hermione both used to the animagus transformations the excuse was accepted easily and the meal passed quickly although Harry soon found his father's prediction to be uncannily accurate.
He was dead on his feet as the meal ended and he struggled up the staircases, deciding at the last minute he'd rather stay in his room tonight instead of the dorms. Nobody commented, far too used to Harry spending nights away from the dorms particularly at the weekend. He stumbled through the portrait and caught a glimpse of his father's knowing expression as Sirius gently but firmly sent him to bed, coming in a few minutes later to tuck him in.
Most would have said he was too old to be tucked in but Harry didn't mind the affection his father showered him with. He'd never admit it to any of his friends, they'd never understand but he couldn't help but want and enjoy everything Sirius did that showed him how much his father loved him, even if it was something that was normally only done with smaller children. "Goodnight pup," Sirius murmured, pressing a kiss to his forehead.
"'Night Dad" Harry mumbled and he heard the ghost of a chuckle above him as he slipped almost instantly into sleep.