This chapter was supposed to be up a few days ago, June 21, on my birthday to be specific. But, being a mixture of a procrastinator and a perfectionist... well, you get the idea!

Harry glanced at Sirius -who was grinning like an idiot- and smirked. In attempt to snap his godfather from his thoughts, Harry waved his hand in front of Sirius' frozen expression.

"Wha- Something bothering you?" Startled, Sirius spoke in a sarcastic, slightly irritated, undertone.

Harry shook his head, grinning widely. Sirius shot his godson a playful glare, accusing Harry's hand for bringing him back to reality.

And, that's when Sirius saw it.

Sirius' stormy eyes pierced the scarred wound tormenting the back of Harry's hand. In horror, Sirius felt something inside him falling at a crazy pace and crashing without a warning.

"What's that?" Sirius asked, his voice carrying a mixture of shock and barely contained anger.

Harry's grin vanished, and he stared blankly. "W-what?" He managed to say with minimal stuttering, doing his best in faking innocence.

"On your hand, Harry," said Sirius, his anger rising with every word.

"Nothing," Harry said, rolling his sleeves down to cover up the carved words that had been sliced into his hand from the continuous use of the sharp blood-quill.

Before anyone could say anything, Remus walked in from the door. Relief flashed across Harry's face, hoping for someone to side with him.

"If you ever want to be sneaky, I could teach you how," said Sirius, resting his elbow on the nightstand. In contrast to his lightly teasing words, Sirius wasn't playing around.

"But that's not the way it's done, Harry, and certainly not to me," Sirius continued with a deadly serious expression, his voice piercing the air.

Remus was taken aback by the irritation that rang out in Sirius' voice when talking to Harry, of all people. He knew Sirius all too well, and Remus was positive that his friend was holding himself back from breaking into the wild.

It has to be that something grave has happened to Harry- to make Sirius on the edge like this, Remus thought... no longer confused but instead worried.

"Harry, what happened?" Remus asked calmly, concern etched on his face.

Harry sighed inwardly... Little did he know that Remus would be as demanding as Sirius, for Harry to reveal his secret.

However, Harry wasn't willing to give in that easily, as he was desperate to take this dreadful marking of his year with him to the grave.

"I bloody scratched a mosquito bite... you know, it's like a sharp needle," Harry said hesitantly, with a forced straight face. Trying to keep his smirk hidden, he adjusted his round glasses that had slid down his nose.

They all fought the urge to roll their eyes and sigh in exasperation, reaching the same conclusion that Harry was a terrible liar.

"As for now, don't you dare lie about it... for I shall know and you won't like it," Sirius threatened, refusing to take that as an answer.

Harry glanced at his saviour, silently asking for help. Hermione, who would always figure a way out to whatever trouble he found himself in, failed him this time.

Hermione just mouthed to him, "tell him, Harry," and Ron nodded in encouragement. Ginny had a frown plastered on her face, and she chose to remain silent.

Harry sighed in defeat, frowning. "Sirius... please," he pleaded in a low desperate voice, hoping to keep this topic closed.

Being engrossed in exploding rage, Sirius was efficiently distracted from feeling hurt that Harry still didn't want to open up to him.

***
Through the ringing moments of silence, Sirius had to mentally count from one to ten, closing his eyes, to compose himself and keep his anger and frustration at bay.

"Let's try again, easy and slow, now... who did this?" Sirius asked, breathing heavily, and his eyes hardened like steel.

"Sirius, it's nothing, really-- just..." mumbled Harry in his final attempt to get out of this trap in which he had fallen into, out of nowhere.

At the spur of the moment, uncontrollable rage radiated from Sirius. In spite of his better judgment, Sirius pulled Harry's sleeves upward to reveal the raw scars and held his wrist, not as gently as he intended.

"This... is not nothing, Harry," Sirius roared, fury coursing through his veins.

Harry flinched and tried to squeeze his hand free from Sirius' hold. Upon the sharp glare he received, a shiver was sent down his spine. Harry felt his heartbeats vibrating and breaking his eardrums.

This moment went down in history, as Harry saw a dark shadow of Uncle Vernon in his godfather... a terrifying shadow of a person he dreaded being around in someone else who was associated with the sense of safety.

The helium of disappointment filled Harry up like a balloon. He had been desperate to believe that Sirius was different, but this was the moment that proved him wrong.

"Enough, p-please," said Harry brokenly, directed to not only Sirius but also his own cancerous thoughts that were beating him up from the very core.

Upon registering the vulnerable fear mirrored in Harry's eyes, Sirius softened his glare and constrained his rage from going any further.

Sirius had learned the hard way of what it took from losing his temper; he couldn't afford the risk of losing everything he held so dearly -for the second time- just because of him acting on impulse.

"I am sorry," Sirius apologized, drawing a heavy sigh, and gently spared his hand. Harry merely nodded, not finding it in himself to say anything.

Sirius was not willing to break his relationship with his godson... not now, not ever. Death seemed more welcoming than not having Harry in his life.

"I didn't mean to scare you..." Sirius said, glancing away for a split of a second before fixing his gaze at Harry again. "I'd rather die," he said with much conviction that at this moment Harry believed him.

The bubble of hurtful disappointment popped by the sharply pointed needle of Sirius' words. Harry trusted his instincts, ensuring him that Sirius was indeed different from the Dursleys in every possible way.

It was enough for Harry that Sirius was not filled with rage at him, yet on the contrary, his godfather was scared and angry for him.

***
"No one has the right to hurt you in any way," Sirius said, with a softer voice and genuine eyes.

You know, deep down, you deserve to be punished. Harry tried to stop the hurtful words, Umbridge had thrown at him, from bouncing back-and-forth in his mind and pinching his heart.

Besides, Sirius' words seemed more inviting and held remarkable warmth... And, Harry was just desperate to believe them to be true.

To Sirius, it felt close to infinity till the inner burning flames receeded and reversed into seeds of empathic understanding.

Sirius traced his fingers along the blood-traitor scar diagonally carved across his own arm, hidden behind his sleeves. Sirius had first-hand experience in the most likely tormenting effects of abuse that could rip apart every shred of dignity and self worth.

Sirius knew that to reveal the burning pain felt behind the visible scars could be self-crushing beyond repair. However, a helping hand could sometimes be capable of remedying the injury inflicted.

Support -especially from someone who knew what it felt like to be in the shoes of the injured- possessed a high probability to re-build what had been destroyed. That's all what Sirius wanted to give his godson... the sincere understanding that he wasn't alone in this.

Knowing what it felt like to be abused, Sirius couldn't bear leaving his godson to live -with such vulnerable pain- without having someone to turn to.

***
"Who did this?" Sirius repeated his question, with intense desperation reflected in the depth of his stormy eyes.

"Harry, please... don't you trust me?" Sirius said, after the zooming beats of silence.

Sirius had the swift urge to storm off from his seat, away from Harry, leaving behind a torn-heart. Sirius couldn't help but feel a flashing wave of painful agony rolling over him.

He had tried everything to gain his godson's trust, but apparently, all what he had done wasn't sufficient. He, Sirius himself, wasn't even good enough... getting himself locked up in Azkaban instead of carrying on with his caring duties as a godfather.

He disgraced James and Lily who believed in him to be the best man for a subsitute family.

It was crystal clear to Sirius that he had failed to give Harry much of what was needed from a godfather. So, why did he even let himself believe that Harry held any trust for him?

Now, Harry was just paying back for the little he had received from his godfather, as he premised on the few flickers of trust.

**
From the other side, the painful doubt Harry heard in his godfather's last words stung him. Harry didn't want Sirius to think he wasn't trusted... because for all Harry knew, he trusted Sirius with his life.

The need to reassure his godfather was the final straw that made the answer spill from Harry's lips without even waiting for a mental permission.

"Umbridge," Harry whispered, without looking at his godfather.

It was crystal clear to everyone that all hell would break loose, but the silence before the storm was what came next. Receiving the dreaded answer he waited for, Sirius leaned backward against his chair, without uttering a single word.

"She's horrible, honestly," Hermione exclaimed out of nowhere, rubbing her temples. "No wonder she was everybody's worst nightmare!"

"Except only gits like Malfoy and Filch who seemed to get along with her," Ron's voice rang out.

"At least, there's one good thing that came out of her," Ginny said, before being shot with glares from her friends. "I mean.. her being incompetent as a teacher was what brought Dumbledore's Army into existence," she continued, to which Harry nodded.

"Aside from that, my year was packed with her detentions... being accused for lying when I said nothing but the truth." Harry said, irritated, as a sigh escaped him.

Harry had continuously encountered and dealt with his D.A.D.A professors who never failed to give him a troubling end to his school years.

However, Umbridge was the worst of them all, plotting and digging for everyone -including but not limited to Harry- a drowning hole to hell for the entire year.

***
"Why didn't you tell us, Harry?" Remus spoke in a heavy voice, pain drawn on his face. But, he received nothing more than a hesitant shrug from Harry.

Sirius glanced sideways at Remus before his gaze settled on Harry... and he wondered with his thoughts far away. If Harry had told him when it happened, Sirius wouldn't even have been able to protect him as any parent/guardian should.

Could he, the notorious mass-murderer, have done anything to stop someone politically supported by such a sick ministry? There would have been nothing in his hands to do... just be doomed to watch his godson suffer in the clutches of an abusive, power-thirsty toad.

Sirius dropped his gaze to the ground, with his mind spinning in thoughts. A muscle was jumping in Sirius' jaw, as he gritted his teeth till they ached.

That he was caged behind the bars on Grimmauld Place, holding him back while knowing what Harry was going through, would have been a slow death to Sirius... in which he could no longer afford, at least not anymore.

Sirius had already received his lion-share from silently walking toward his own mental graveyard while helplessly waiting in Azkaban, without any shred of hope, for twelve torturous years.

A helpless frown was highlighted on Sirius' face, lasting for less than a second, before being tackled with determination erupting from the depth of his eyes.

Sirius had to prove to Harry -not to mention, to himself as well- that he could be a qualified godfather. He must be the godfather Harry deserved to have.. it wasn't even a matter of choice.

Sirius' murderous thoughts centered around a self promise: she'll pay! No one hurts Harry and gets away with it... at least from now on.

"Sirius..." said Harry, anticipating his godfather's reaction. Guilt throbbed and stormed in his chest for leaving Sirius doubting and questioning the stocking blocks of trust he'd always held for his godfather.

Sirius, grounded back on his feet, closed his eyes for a split of a second before fixing his pained gaze on Harry once again.

"I do trust you... very much," Harry said heartily. He felt lighter, since he finally had someone to rely on.

From Sirius' lens of perspective, the sun had just gleamed soo brightly. Warmth blossomed in his chest, with Harry's words bouncing around in his mind.

"And I'll do right to the trust you hold for me, whatever that would cost me... you'll see." Sirius said, his voice trailing off a bit from the outburst of emotion.

A genuine smile lingered on his lips, the first smile since they've opened this topic.

***
Sirius glanced at Remus, who had a content expression plastered on his once horror-filled face.

"Where is she, now?" Remus asked cautiously.

"We left her in the Forbidden Forest... the centaurs took her to a not-so-friendly cup of tea," Hermione said, her voice carrying a mixture of light sarcasm and amusement.

"Ah! I see you've already handled the situation perfectly well," Remus said, a grin playing on his lips.

Ginny caught from the corner of her eyes Hermione beaming with pride. "Well, she deserved this and even more," Ginny said, her eyes narrowed in irritation.

Out of nowhere, a smirk came across Sirius' face with theories starting to form in his mind. He got to his feet in determination and moved closer to Remus, his fellow marauder.

"Care to join me, Moony?" Sirius asked suggestively, his smirk intensifying.

Remus eyed Sirius carefully, analyzing that smirk in which he very well knew what it entailed. Remus had years to account for this: Sirius with a smirk was never a good sign.

Understanding flashed across Remus' face, a glint of mischief caught in his eyes for the first time in years.

Remus had missed -for so long, that he had even lost count of- this adrenaline rush of causing trouble in adventures and taking risks of being caught.

His mind resolved to snap at Sirius that they could no longer forget where they stand as responsible and mature adults... But, Remus just couldn't even scold himself for wanting to do this.

Besides, Remus himself was once a marauder, so he'd always remain one... Mischief still ran in his blood, just like the good old days. At this very second, it was as though no years had passed, leaving their marking scars on him.

If it were for anything else, the rational part of his mind would have succeeded. This time, however, it wasn't just a carefree easy-going prank, yet it would account for a much more worthy cause... for Harry, to avenge him.

Remus wanted to show Harry and prove to himself that he, as well, deserved to be trusted.

The reserved self of his professor side was protectively locked at the backstage of his mind... overridden by the Uncle Moony within that always had Harry's well-being at the top of his world.

"Why of course," replied Remus, giving his remaining partner-in-crime a smirk of his own.

"Excellent," Sirius approved, patting his friend on the back. Their eyes locked in a shared understanding of the necessary need to formulate an efficient plan to manage mischief.

After all, they weren't marauders for nothing. But now, things were just not the same as before.

A sudden painful sting of the agonizing betrayal and the grieving loss shook the remaining marauders from the very core.

Missing the two competent pranksters, they were no longer a complete group. One of them, Wormtail, ceased holding the title of a friend when he gave up on everything for Voldemort, falling into the temptation of the darkness within.

The other, Prongs, no longer stepped his feet on the land of the living... but instead laid his cold body in suffocating darkness, miles and miles under the ground.

Despite of everything, both Sirius and Remus felt a rush of gratitude that -at the very least- they still had each other.

But then again, for their plan -whatever it turned out to be- to have an outstanding effect, they needed more mischievous minds put into it.

With a heavy heart, Remus whirled around to the curiously anxious teenagers and directed his attention at Ron when asking, "where is Fred and George?"

Ron arched his eyebrows in surprise before mumbling, "at home, I suppose," hesitation spilling out from his lips.

"Oi, what are you playing at?" Harry asked in a heartbeat.

"Me? Nothing," replied Sirius, a smirk sliding across his face, re-adopting his former *yes, I did it but you can't prove it* tone.

"Don't worry, Harry, they're just going to hunt down the mosquito that thought it was okay to bite you," Ginny said lightly, before they all cracked up laughing.

"Right you are, ma' lady," Sirius said between the ringing fits of laughter, giving her an over-dramatic bow of respect.

***
The roaring laughter died off, as they were all caught off guard by a furious voice.

"I thought I said... everyone would abandon the hospital wing," Madame Pomfrey said, crossing her arms against her chest. "Now, what are you all still doing in here?" She asked, impatiently tapping her foot on the ground.

It wasn't everyday someone would see the caring nurse in such an irritated state. But, she had made herself plain clear for them to leave, and they deliberately disobeyed her. Peaceful harmony and solitude shall be restored inside the walls of the hospital wing, whether they liked it or not... she would personally see to that.

"We were- we were just..." Hermione attempted in hesitation, the words dying in her throat.

"--Wishing Harry a speed recovery, you know," Ron continued from where Hermione stopped.

"I see you've even started a grande celebration," Poppy pointed out sarcastically, a sneaky grin playing on her lips. "Now, off with you," she continued in a dangerous voice, leaving no room for argument.

"Right," mumbled Hermione, not willing to face the wrath of Madame Pomfrey. She got to her feet, in defeat, and glanced down at Ron who seemed to be untroubled and at complete ease.

"You guys run along. If you need me, I'll be here," Ron said lightly, before being elbowed in the ribs by his sister. "Bloody Hell, Ginny," he exclaimed, shooting her a glare and rubbing his ribs.

"Get well soon, Harry," Ginny wished, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. She stood up and pulled her brother's arm along with her.

"Alright, alright, I am coming," Ron exclaimed, groaning. He rolled his eyes and spoke in a lower voice for only Harry to hear, "two spells of Petrificus Totalus and I'll be back."

Harry cracked a smile and watched Hermione sighing in disapproval at Ron's amused expression.

"See you, mate," Ron yelled from over their shoulders, while being pushed further.

Harry watched his friends walk away, stifling giggles and chattering along one another. With a heavy heart, Harry remained silent, counting the minutes and every single click of time till he'd be able to join them once again.

With a sigh, Remus was about to leave as well, before Harry's voice rang out in determination.

"No.. I need them, please," said Harry, pointing his gaze from Remus to Sirius before settling on Madame Pomfrey.

Remus' face brightened, his amber eyes lightning up at the prospect that Harry wanted him to stay as well... just as -or at least, somehow close to- wanting Sirius, his godfather, to remain with him.

The sense of inclusion sent a warm glow to Remus' heart, and a smile lingered on his lips.

"There is something they have to know, it is... important," Harry pleaded with hopeful eyes.

The desperation ringing in Harry's words was enough for the maternal nurse. "Fine," she huffed, relenting.

"But under one condition, no bursts of explosions," Poppy added as a response to Sirius' smirk, to which Remus nodded sincerely.

"No promises here, Poppy," Sirius called after her.

Sirius waited till she stormed off before glancing back at his godson, "nice try, Harry-- but we're still carrying on with our plan... with what needs to be done."

Nothing could have stopped Sirius from running like a madman with-wild-eyes and crushing that Umbridge woman, other than Harry wanting him to stay.

The silence lingered in the air once again. Harry shook his head at Sirius, this wasn't what he had in mind. Harry held a secret, in which he was desperate to reveal... they're the ones who deserve to be the first to know, he thought to himself.

Hope you enjoyed it ^_^

Stay tuned for the next update... soon!

I could tell that you've missed those emotionally heavy chapters. They're on their way, don't worry!

Please, Votes and Comments would be the best birthday presents for me... if it isn't too much to ask?!

Also, what do you think was the punishment Umbridge deserved for all her abusive wrong-doings, then again they weren't all against only Harry??

This is extremely important... so please, do me a favour, will you? Grant me with your opinions.

As always, thanks for reading and sticking with my story ^^