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SIYE Time:13:35 on 29th March 2024
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Path Diverged II
By hp_fangal

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Category: Alternate Universe, Post-HBP
Characters:Albus Dumbledore, Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Nymphadora Tonks, Remus Lupin, Ron Weasley, Sirius Black
Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Romance
Warnings: Disturbing Imagery, Mental Abuse, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations
Rating: PG-13
Reviews: 220
Summary: The Wizarding world finally knows that Lord Voldemort has returned, and the Second War has begun. As Harry prepares to enter his sixth year at Hogwarts, he is forced to deal with the trauma from his last encounter with Voldemort, the upcoming trial of Dolores Umbridge, Sirius's uncomfortable questions about his childhood, his budding relationship with Ginny Weasley, and the unknown shadow of what lies ahead as the "Chosen One" who must defeat Voldemort once and for all. This is an AU take of Half-Blood Prince following my previous story, Path Diverged.
Hitcount: Story Total: 92323; Chapter Total: 3275
Awards: View Trophy Room




Author's Notes:
The next chapter, as promised. Harry and Sirius get a chance to talk, we finally get back to the Weasleys and Hermione, and Molly tears Albus a new one. Enjoy!




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Chapter Fourteen: Support System



When Harry woke the next morning, Sirius was sitting in a chair by the door, clearly brooding. Sitting up, Harry grabbed his glasses nervously, sliding them onto his face to see that Sirius’s expression matched his body language.

“I’m sorry I left with Professor Dumbledore without telling you,” he offered quietly after a moment’s hesitation.

“Tell me what you were thinking, Harry,” was all Sirius said, his tone steady and even.

“I couldn’t sleep, and the headmaster was downstairs,” answered Harry, trying not to squirm at the intense look Sirius was giving him. “He asked if I could do him a favor, and I – well, I used to trust him completely, and it didn’t seem that difficult a thing to do, you know?” He fidgeted a bit.

“And the reason you didn’t let me know?”

“He said it wouldn’t take that long,” Harry shrugged. “You – I’ve woken you up almost every night this past week, so I thought you probably needed the sleep, and I figured it probably wasn’t a big deal, it was just Dumbledore, it’s not like he’d deliberately put me in danger –”

“But you don’t know that for sure,” Sirius cut him off, finally sounding upset. “And damn my need for sleep!” he added in frustration. He sighed and raked a hand through his long hair. “Harry, your childhood was all about either having every move dictated, or just being made to stay out of the way, and it’s obvious to me now that it means you make some rash choices.”

“It wasn’t rash, it was just Dumbledore,” said Harry, confused. “And you’re one to talk about making rash decisions,” he continued before he could stop himself.

“We’re not talking about me right now,” said Sirius tightly. “We’re talking about you.”

“And I think talking about me means talking about you, too,” Harry shot back, temper rising despite his best efforts to keep it in check. “You’ve encouraged me to break rules before, you know, not to mention coming to the train station in your Animagus form last year when everybody said not to. You keep saying the Dursleys were poor excuses for guardians, but I don’t know that you’ve consistently set a better example!”

There was a long moment of silence. Sirius’s face was unreadable, and Harry worried that maybe he had pushed his godfather too far. What kind of punishments was a man who had been raised in a house that embraced the Dark Arts capable of?

“You’re right.”

The words were said quietly, but startled Harry all the same. “Sirius?”

Sirius let out a heaving sigh and slumped in his chair. “I have not set the best example for you,” he said. “I've spent years dwelling on my wrongdoings, and I have let that hold me back from acting the way I ought to.” He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees and turning his grey-eyed gaze to Harry. “You are fifteen years old, and you have yet to have the guidance you really need.”

“Sirius,” said Harry, “I didn’t mean –”

“Yes, you did,” said Sirius flatly. “You are reckless, but so am I. You and I both learned to be that way from atrocious home situations, and neither of us has had what we needed to change those patterns of behavior.” He ran his hands through his hair again, staring at the floor. “Of course, it’s all more complicated with you because of the prophecy and everything that keeps getting dumped on you, but Molly’s right. You really need more structure and support in your life.” He straightened up in the chair. “So, here’s what it comes down to:

“You are my responsibility, and as such, I need to always know your whereabouts. Setting aside the fact that a deranged madman wants to kill you, you are still underage and require a certain amount of adult supervision.”

“Meaning what, exactly?” asked Harry, wary at the words.

“If we go places that we don’t know for a fact are safe, then myself or another adult I have approved needs to be with you,” said Sirius firmly. “If we are somewhere safe, like the Burrow, then just knowing where you are in that area is sufficient.”

That didn’t sound too bad. “Okay,” Harry agreed.

“The next thing we need to discuss is Kreacher.”

“What about him?”

“He is bound to me, but because you’re my heir, he needs to be bound to you, as well.”

“Why?”

“I had no idea where you were last night,” said Sirius simply. “Kreacher is able to find the location of underage wizards in his care, but he couldn’t track you once you left with Dumbledore because you’re not my blood. I don’t want that to happen again. If he’s officially bound to you, then he will be able find you until you turn seventeen. After that, he will always be able to come to you when you call, no matter where you are.”

“Seriously?”

“What have you learned about using that word in my presence?” said Sirius with the first traces of a smile.

Harry rolled his eyes. “Not to use your name in vain, I’d expect.”

Chuckling, Sirius rose from the chair and seated himself at the foot of Harry’s bed. "I’m struggling to trust others with your care and safety, Harry," he said quietly as he sobered once more. "The first time I did that, your parents died and you ended up in the care of the worst Muggles I've ever met. Then there was the Triwizard tournament, not to mention this past year… I am going to do everything in my power to make sure none of that never happens again."

Harry considered this perspective and thought he could understand that.

"I get it," he finally said in an equally soft voice. "I guess that… I'm struggling with the idea that someone actually – cares about me like that."

"You'd best get used to it," said Sirius gruffly. "I'm not going anywhere, kiddo."

After breakfast, Sirius officially bound Kreacher to Harry, an experience which was both bizarre and enlightening. Harry couldn't decide which part was the strangest: how quickly it happened, the strange language in which Sirius had chanted to enact the binding, or how pleased Kreacher seemed to be by the whole thing. It was hard to think negatively of the house elf when he was truly happy for the first time since Harry met him a year earlier.

Harry wondered what Hermione would think of him purposefully binding a house elf to him.

He got the chance to find out that afternoon when they went to the Burrow to spend time with Ron and Ginny while they waited for Hermione to arrive. Her parents had insisted on driving to Ottery St. Catchpole to drop her off with all her things as well as sign over consent for the Weasleys to oversee Hermione’s testimony as temporary wizarding guardians at Umbridge’s upcoming trial. Apparently, Dumbledore had convinced them that it was in their best interest to have this done. To be honest, after witnessing the trials of Death Eaters in Dumbledore’s Pensieve and being on trial himself, Harry wasn’t so sure it would have worked out well had the Grangers attended the trial next month. He rather thought that they might be confused and even appalled by the way in which the court system worked for witches and wizards.

Harry, Ron, and Ginny quietly observed a rather tearful farewell between their friend and her parents. Hermione would be spending Christmas with her parents this year, and promised to write every week to update them about how she was doing. Harry watched Hermione as her parents returned to their car to make the drive back home, wondering at the expression on her face. It seemed sad and resolute, but also… guilty?

But then the look was gone so quickly Harry wasn’t quite sure he’d even seen it. She was suddenly bright and happy, chatting with Ginny about a book they had both apparently been reading as Mrs. Weasley levitated her things inside the house.

Harry and Ron hung around in Ginny's room as Ginny and Hermione got her things settled, Harry sitting on Ginny's bed and petting Crookshanks, Hermione's cat, as he looked around the room. He'd never been in Ginny's room before, and he was unsurprised to see that Ginny's room was small, but bright, with a large poster of the Wizarding band the Weird Sisters on one wall, and a picture of Gwenog Jones on the other. This reminded Harry of his trip with Dumbledore to recruit Horace Slughorn as the new Potions teacher. He filled in his friends about what had happened the previous night.

"Snape teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts?" said Ron in a horrified voice. "What's he thinking?"

"Snape's position as a spy was jeopardized that day in Umbridge's office," said Harry heavily. "Apparently he really upset Voldemort by giving away his plan to get me into the Department of Mysteries."

"It makes sense," said Hermione, straightening up from having put clothes in the second dresser set up in the small room for her to use. "Giving him the job means that Dumbledore trusts him even though Voldemort is certain that he's really a Death Eater."

"Still," said Harry, "the job's jinxed, isn't it? No one's ever lasted more than a year. Maybe we'll finally be rid of him."

"Harry," said Hermione reproachfully, "how can you say that? You know he's really on our side."

"Only because of my mother," Harry reminded her tersely. "Sirius said they were friends, right? He probably had unrequited feelings for her, and it's just –"

"Disturbing," finished Ginny with a nod. "His loyalty hinges on feelings for Harry's mother and possibly nothing else. Who wouldn’t be bothered by that?"

"I wish I could just ask him and get a straight answer that doesn't include him insulting me or my dad," Harry admitted with a bitter note. Ginny paused in helping Hermione unpack to hug him tightly, the floral scent he now knew so well filling his nose as he clung to her.

"I know," she said softly. "I wish you could, too.”

"So this Slughorn guy likes to collect people?" asked Ron.

"Yeah," said Harry as Ginny pulled away, "apparently he's good friends with Gwenog Jones." He gestured to Ginny's poster. "Seeing that reminded me of meeting him last night."

Ginny brightened. "Do you think he'd introduce me?" she asked. "I'd love to be good enough to play on her team."

"Dumbledore made it sound like his so-called club got to meet all his connections that he's made over the years," said Harry with a shrug. "I expect he'd do the same thing again this year."

"Well," said Ron slowly, "I suppose he can't be worse than Snape, can he? And you said he accepts Exceeds Expectations for N.E.W.T. level?"

"That's what he told me," said Harry.

"I do hope we get our O.W.L. results soon,” sighed Hermione.

The conversation drifted, unfortunately, to Harry's childhood and everything his friends had learned over the past two weeks.

"Ginny wrote about it all to me," said Hermione sadly, "but to keep all that hidden for all these years, Harry?"

The cold laughter in his mind started right on cue, and Harry reached for Ginny before he could even process what he needed. “Your friends would think so much less of you if they knew the truth I can see in your mind.”

No, Harry told himself fiercely, that's not true. Ginny started running her fingers through his hair, calming him as he banished the cruel words from his mind.

"Land mine?" said Ginny quietly. Harry nodded.

"I'm so sorry," said Hermione, looking absolutely distraught. "I just triggered a flashback, didn't I?"

Harry shrugged. "Not exactly difficult to do," he admitted in a low voice. "And some days are better than others."

As the afternoon neared dinnertime, Hermione asked about Kreacher. "He's actually not that bad now," Harry told her. "Obviously the house still isn't all that great to live in, but it's much safer now, and Kreacher actually cooks and cleans. And…" here Harry hesitated, worried about how Hermione would react to this next part. "Okay, so I didn't tell Sirius I was going out with Dumbledore last night, and he got really upset because he didn't know where I was, but apparently Kreacher could've tracked me down. Only trouble is, house elves can really only track you if they have an idea of where to look – or if they are – well, bound to you."

Hemrione stared at him for a long moment. "You bound yourself to him," she stated flatly.

"Sirius insisted," said Harry quickly. "He's already named me as his heir, so I'd inherit Kreacher no matter what. And you know we can't just set him free with everything he knows."

Hermione's lips twisted as she considered this. "Is he happy?" she finally asked.

Harry considered the question, and then nodded. "The advice you gave Sirius seems to have helped a lot," he said. "You always said we should've been kinder to him, and you were right."

Hermione smiled a bit. "I suppose I can't ask for much better, all things considered," she sighed, and Harry knew that was probably the best he’d get from her on the topic.



Sirius watched Harry and Ron follow Ginny and Hermione upstairs to Ginny’s room to settle the older girl in for her stay at the Burrow. “What do you do for discipline?” he suddenly found himself asking aloud.

Molly was in the middle of sorting out laundry in the living room, and looked up, appearing startled. “Beg pardon?” she asked.

“If there’s a rule in your house, and your kids break it, what’s the consequence?” Sirius couldn’t get his conversation with Harry from that morning out of his mind, and kept dwelling on what it meant to be a good role model.

The truth was that he hadn’t been the best role model for Harry. After pushing and prodding for the truth, he’d gone and raised a ruckus to the point that Harry had bolted. And then there was the matter of the previous night.

“Do they know the rules? What rules are good rules to even have?”

Molly raised her eyebrows. “You’re only just asking me this now you’ve a teenager to be responsible for?”

Sirius paused for a moment, considering her words. “Yes, that about sums it up,” he finally said, feeling a bit sheepish. “Albus showed up late last night on the off-chance that Harry couldn’t sleep, and Harry went off with him to go recruit Professor Slughorn.”

“Oh, Horace Slughorn is returning to Hogwarts?” said Molly in surprise. “Then what will Professor Snape teach?”

“Defense Against the Dark Arts,” answered Sirius, “but that’s not my issue. It’s that –”

“Harry went off without telling you first, didn’t he?”

Sirius nodded. “Exactly.”

Molly sighed and set aside the laundry basket, patting the couch seat next to her. Sirius sat down heavily and immediately leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees and pushing his hands into his hair.

“He called me out this morning on my past behavior,” he said to the carpet. “I… I really didn’t think he could reach a point where he’d actually do that.”

He felt Molly’s hand on his shoulder. “Harry has long held a secret and desperate desire to have the kind of life Ron has, I think,” she said quietly. “That includes the chaos around here, certainly, but above all else, he seeks the structure of a loving and supportive family. And what’s more, he wants that with you, Sirius.” Lifting his head, Sirius saw the warm smile on Molly’s face as she looked back at him. “You already have his trust, dear,” she told him, eyes glistening a bit as she squeezed his shoulder. “And you have his love. Let that love and trust be the foundation, and the rest will come.

“Now, that’s not to say that he won’t push at the boundaries, because he will,” she added briskly, “especially when he’s also so close to being of age, but you need to learn to establish those boundaries and hold to them.” From there, she launched into details regarding her own rules and consequences, and by the end of it, Sirius felt a mixture of trepidation at the work he had to do in order to give Harry the structure and support he needed, and unending gratefulness that Harry had chosen his friends so well he’d ended up with the love and support of the Weasley family. He and Molly had not always seen eye-to-eye about Harry in the past, but it was obvious that she cared deeply and wanted the best for him. They both did, and it was something to build a good relationship from.

It also helped that she firmly took his side regarding Dumbledore’s ploy to get Harry’s help the previous night and was determined to give the Hogwarts headmaster an earful the next time she saw him. Sirius firmly hoped he would be around to witness her laying into the older man. No one could cow a person like the wrath of Molly Weasley.

At Molly’s invidation, Sirius and Harry stayed for dinner before returning to Grimmauld Place for the night. He stayed up until Kreacher had assured him that Harry was truly asleep before he allowed his own exhaustion to finally claim him.



Molly was a witch of her word. “When I see the headmaster next, he will be getting an earful from me,” she had promised Sirius.

The next meeting of the Order of the Phoenix three days later was her next opportunity, and well…

She let Albus have it.

Sirius had joined Fred, George, and Bill in a corner to munch on some popcorn, and he was grinning at her, obviously quite pleased as she tore into the headmaster.

“He’s only fifteen, Albus!” she raged at him. “We did not just spend the last year of Harry’s life trying to keep him safe only for you to go and take him on a midnight stroll to Merlin knows where!”

“You know he was perfectly safe with me, Molly.”

“That’s beside the point!” snapped Molly irritably. “Safe or not, you are not his guardian in our world, Albus! Merlin knows I’ve done my best to give that boy some sense of normalcy, but even I am not his guardian. Sirius is, and unlike you, Sirius has no ulterior motives behind the scenes regarding Harry’s life! I know Sirius would have been more than fine with your plot to lure Professor Slughorn out of retirement had you spoken with him first and invited him to come along.”

“There was no guarantee Horace would respond well to Sirius showing up, as well,” said Albus patiently.

“Not from what Harry says,” piped up Bill. “Told me and Sirius last night about how Slughorn wished Sirius had been in Slytherin like his brother. What were his words, Sirius?”

Sirius grinned. “He got Regulus when he came along, but he’d have liked the set of us.”

“Sounds like Sirius’s presence wouldn’t have been adversely received,” pointed out Fred.

“Might’ve asked for monetary favors seeing as how Sirius got the whole Black fortune,” added George with an amused expression.

“Exactly,” said Molly firmly. “Harry’s safety is important to all of us, Albus” – there was a questionable expression on Severus’s face that she chose to ignore – “but none more than his actual guardian.”

“You weren’t defending Black’s position a year ago,” Severus spoke up unexpectedly, and a few other members of the Order nodded. “In fact, I recall you advocating heavily that the headmaster oversee the boy’s protection.”

“Seeing as how Sirius was still a fugitive at that point in time,” replied Molly coolly, “I stand by my words at the time in which they were given. Obviously, things have changed, and it is important to change with them. Sirius is proving himself to be a competent caregiver. I see it every day since Harry finally left those Muggles for the summer.” She looked directly at Sirius. “I see a man burdened by guilt who is determined to do the best he can. He talks to me and Arthur frequently to make sure he is doing right by Harry. How could I ask for more proof that he is capable than that?”

Severus said nothing, so Molly turned back to Albus. “I demand you offer Sirius the same support you have given both myself and Arthur in regards to the safety and wellbeing of our children,” she said. “Harry has suffered enough trouble without a true, caring guardian, and now that he really has one… Sirius deserves the same trust and respect you afford us every day.”

Albus nodded. “I agree with you on this,” he finally answered. “Harry is more than deserving of stability. He is very lucky to have you for an advocate, Molly.”

The meeting proceded as usual after that, and life went on, but Molly found that the last vestiges of distrust and worry she’d continued to hold regarding Sirius were, at long last, put to rest, and the changes in their friendship thereafter became warm and comfortable. Sirius had lost so much in his few short years of life, but the effort he put into doing better by Harry meant far more than words could ever express.

Molly knew, more than anything, that both Sirius and Harry were deserving of a summer spent in a place that was safe, and she was willing to do whatever it took to ensure her home was just that.

In the coming days, Sirius would laugh more easily, engage with her children and husband in a warm and friendly manner, and pester her with questions about independence and responsibility. It was everything she could have hoped for, and much more. He caught Harry in frequent hugs, joked with Ron and Ginny, and even discussed advanced magic concepts with Hermione.

At long last, Molly felt she was coming to know the real Sirius Black, as he had always been meant to be.
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