Me to me: welcome back-- took you long enough! yeah, I know...

Vote and comment please :D

With the dawn of September, the world of enchantment awaits us all-- *excited squeals* hope you had a spectacular first day at Hogwarts!

Oh, and I wish @RoseLupin27 a happy belated birthday, though you seem to have vanished off the face of Wattpad. I mean, if you have taken the magical ride to Hogwarts, you might have invited me to join you! Hope all is well with you, stay safe :)

Anyway, let's jump in right away... tried to make it worth the wait <3

                         "Trust me, I am Sirius."

******
Under the invisibility cloak, Sirius silently dragged his feet forward. Through the carefree bubble of students chattering indistinctly around him and making their way to the Great Hall, Sirius caught sight of the grey jacket he knew belonged to Remus, alongside a pair of red-heads.

Soon enough, Remus fell silent when he felt an invisible whoosh of air charmed to lift up countable grey strands of his brown hair to rotate in a wave motion. Fred arched his eyebrows upward in surprise, yet George was alert enough to glance sideways to find absolutely no one around them.

His mind certainly far from the disturbing topic at hand, Remus huffed in irritation and rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Padfoot!" He exclaimed, gritting his teeth in a whisper, a knowing smirk crossing his face, to which an exaggerated groan was audible from his vacant side.

Sirius took the cloak off, his head coming out first to startle the wide-eyed twins, silently mouthing "boo." Remus urgently pushed Sirius to the nearest classroom to keep him away from view, closing the door after Fred and George who rushed in behind them.

"Glad I amuse you," scoffed Remus, amending the damage by brushing his electrified hair backward.

"You always do, especially with that not-so-serious look on your face," laughed Sirius, provoking Fred to grin from ear to ear and Remus to hide his smile.

"Wicked!" George spoke in awe, "we did this hair thing once to Percy from afar, remember Freddie?"

"Oh yeah, he was livid when he saw us," replied Fred, a huge smirk etched on his face. "The git took points from Gryffindor though, the only thing he could actually do," he added bitterly.

"Alright, well done boys," said Remus in a reserved tone, clapping his hands together, "but let's not get sidetracked here, yes?"

"Absolutely," Sirius nodded, adopting a solemn expression. "So did I not mention that Um-bidge is knocked out cold in her office-- my bad."

"You've got to be kidding me," muttered George, gasping half-heartedly.

"She was very rude," remarked Sirius.

As if on cue, a life-erupting explosion roared from behind the closed door that they all spun around to, and Fred reached his head out to sneak a peek. An undersized body-frame, coming out of foggy smoke, held onto her unsteadily breathing chest, gasping and coughing for dear life.

"Ah speaking of the devil," said Fred in amusement, clicking his tongue.

Remus turned to the twins, his voice just above a whisper. "Take her to the Great Hall now." Instead, it was Sirius who had rushed out of the room --not up for missing the show, they assumed. Alerted, Remus glanced back and forth, but finding no one, he stepped out in caution as well.

Umbridge took one look at Sirius and was caught up with the reflex to check on her bleeding left hand. A sudden retrospection jumped into her mind without any obvious necessity that she began to mutter hysterically. "The grim-- I saw the grim. It will kill me, this is it... the end, I am going to die!"

His eyes no longer calculating, Sirius grinned to himself, oh yes, the memory charm had so worked.

"Uh-ha, yeah, sure," said George, absent-minded. The twins supported Umbridge to lead her away. "Come along then, yes, this way."

Before reaching the center of the hall, Fred slipped one of his own magical products into her mouth, and she pig-snorted in effect, her head leaning backward. Having all eyes on her, Umbridge instantly felt her nose bleed out of control.

***
Standing behind with Sirius, the tamed werewolf nodded meaningfully at Professor Dumbledore, who only winked at him and stood to address four long tables worth of students.

"It is with a heavy heart that I announce, another year has come to an end..."

Sirius sighed heartily when his now stormy gaze travelled to his godson. He could tell that Harry was only half-listening to the headmaster, his mind slurring in distant thoughts, and the same could be said about him.

Sirius had welcomed with open arms any and all forms of distraction he could think of, just so he wouldn't have to relive what had immensely hurt him.

Even if Harry tried to prove otherwise and showered him with apologies, Sirius dreaded that the newly cracked vase of trust, could hardly be mended.

Remus glanced at Sirius then back at Harry, with a frown on his face. "So, how much did Harry hurt you?" He spoke in a wistful voice.

"Wha-- nothing," stuttered Sirius a bit too quickly, his mouth agape. "H-he wouldn't, he didn't."

"You don't fool me, Padfoot," said Remus, with a knowing glint in his eyes, feeling sore. "You never did."

Sirius silently clenched his jaw, sending a small tick through his tight face.

"It's alright," began Remus when it didn't seem that Sirius would talk anytime soon. "Just remember this is Harry we're talking about, he would never mean to hurt you."

Sirius dropped his gaze to the ground, slowly shaking his head, a cold smile playing at the edge of his lips. He felt crestfallen and in dire need of reassurance. Sirius opened his mouth to say the words that had been bubbling within and silently eating him up: I just thought he trusted me.

But even that simple bliss of comfort, he was denied of.

The unnerving silence was broken by a collective uproar, when two aurors moved past the twins and tightly held Umbridge from both sides, ready to make their way up to Dumbledore.

Sirius then promptly closed his eyes, biting on his lower lip to swallow back his words of distress, and he leaned into the gentle squeeze on his shoulder from Remus.

***
Both marauders directed their attention back to the end result of their plan: the once and for all downfall of Dolores Umbridge.

"It's come to my attention the weight of her indiscretions and vile abuse of status," the wise headmaster had spoken with a grave expression, "they are well-due to be paid for."

No one dared to interrupt him, though Dumbledore could read countless puzzled expressions waiting for him to provide answers.

All what could be heard were the clicking sounds of a camera in the excited hands of Colin Creevey by the far end of the hall. Coming from the other side, was the stretching noise of an acid green, feathered quick-quotes-quill that rushed down words onto a floating parchment, under the insulting influence of a beaming Rita Skeeter.

"With a leap of faith, I find it in me to assure you all that she will either suffer from the Dementor's kiss or get stripped off her magic-- after a complicated sequence of ministry-approved regulations that would just bore you if enlisted on you," the aging headmaster added with a light chuckle.

Albus fell silent for a moment, his eyes twinkling when they met Harry's, who had been elbowed by a grinning Ronald Weasley to pay attention.

"In light of recent events, Aurors Shacklebolt and Dawlish have kindly agreed to escort Dolores Jean Umbridge from Hogwarts to await her trial," said Dumbledore, bowing his head a fraction to honor their presence, to which they smiled in formal appreciation.

As sneaky as he could, George shoved a circular pill between the toad's lips. Once it was forced down her throat, Umbridge grunted with a slow roll of her eyes. Kingsley exchanged an amused look with George, when her ongoing nosebleeding stopped abruptly-- though the lower part of her face was still drowning in blood as an aftermath.

"I spoke with the minister of magic, and her status as Senior Undersecretary will be taken care of," carried on Dumbledore.

Kingsley Shacklebolt spared a nod of respect at Remus, for they had both --in secret collaboration with each other-- went to great measures to turn as many aurors and ministry officials as possible against Umbridge, one step at a time. Once more today, Remus had been the one who managed to talk them into taking immediate action.

Remus smiled back at the headstrong auror, feeling content enough that his relentless work had finally paid off. He now relished in his success to cause a slow change to overthrow Umbridge. Ever since Harry had first shown the slightest discomfort around that toad, Remus had taken his growing suspicion of her into gradual action-- without even letting it known to anyone.

"And yes, needless to say, someone else will have to fill up the DADA position for next year," continued Dumbledore in a clear voice, his gaze fixed on her fragile form being taken away.

In this moment in time, Umbridge wished she hadn't even been born, her knees buckling under the emptiness weighing upon her. Covered in public humiliation from head to toe, she struggled against the strong arms keeping a firm grip on her-- whether to wipe the sparkling tears from her wet cheeks or to shove away the blood streaming down her chin, was left unknown.

A faint whimper of fear was audible, not only magically magnified to the whole hall, but also echoing against the drums of her heartbeats.

In spite of her better judgement and with all the nerves she had, Umbridge glanced sideways at her former students, and the expressions she received would surely be products of her future nightmares: some were vengeful and challenging, others relieved, more were holding onto their injured hands, but worst of all, there was pity.

She felt vulnerable, broken... and forever doomed.

"Now that our school is free from such a cursed influence and dark eye, a celebration, I believe, is in order," said Dumbledore, feeling every ounce of happiness snatched away from the departed DADA professor.

Joy drawn on their faces, most students jumped to their feet, cheering, clapping and roaring into the air.

Dumbledore silenced the hall with a single swish of his wand, a gentle smile on his face. "Hogwarts has always been and will forever be everybody's home, where safety resides in all hearts, on that you have my word."

In the spur of the moment, the elderly headmaster gestured his long fingers at the Weasley twins, who smirked and elevated their wand-tips erupting colorful waves of fireworks to the bewitched sky.

Another collective thunder boomed in ringing excitement, where some whooped, others slipped their fingers in their mouths to wolf-whistle.

***
In the midst of the enchanted lightening, Fred ran back to the relieved marauders, George at his heels. "We did it!" The twins exclaimed in one breath, grinning like idiots.

"Carrying on the legacy of mischief, oh yes, you boys did a brilliant job," said Remus, grinning back, and Sirius nodded solemnly.

From a distance, Harry caught Sirius' eyes and stopped beaming, making his way up to him. Sirius frowned with a heavy sigh of anticipation.

However, it was Snape who came between them with a malicious glare. "Care to enlighten me how was this your doing-- Weasleys?"

Fred and George gave each other a glance of light thought, deciding they had nothing to lose if they turned themselves in.

"It wasn't them," said Remus with an icy smile, shifting his gaze from the twins to Snape.

"And why again, Lupin, should I take your word for it?" Snape scoffed.

"Yeah, well, that's your problem," replied Remus in a quiet voice, clicking his tongue and shrugging in indifference. That provoked Sirius to fondly smirk at his only partner-in-mischief with a subtle mastermind.

Snape merely gave the ex-professor a death-glare in response, and he raised his eyebrows when Harry came next to Sirius to silently listen in.

"Potter?" Snape narrowed his eyes at him, sneering at the group of three. "I'd ask for your insight, but I know you lack in that department."

Harry opened his mouth, his face revealing a twinkle of sarcasm, but he was effectively held back by a soothing weight on his shoulder.

His protective instincts on alarm, Sirius promptly wrapped his hand around Harry's shoulder in assurance. "Ah, Snivellus, I am astonished you still find amusement in your ability to put words together--"

"You have absolutely no right to--" broke in Snape, his snarl evident.

"But I am sure even someone who is as soft in the head as you, can tell that we're not at all interested in whatever you have to say," continued Sirius loathly, his eyes flashing.

Fred and George cough-chuckled when Sirius first spoke. Remus pingponged his gaze between Sirius and Snape, knowing from experience an explosion would surely erupt.

Harry, on the other hand, smiled to himself... with a sense of warmth, he felt relieved and safe that someone always had his back without any conditions, even if they weren't on the best terms.

Without a thought, Snape visibly tightened his grip on his wand in warning. Sirius didn't flinch, but he swept Harry behind him just in case.

"Just, enough of this!" Remus spoke in slight irritation, gripping Sirius' arm to hold him back from doing anything stupid.

It was then that Dumbledore moved past the cheering crowd behind closed doors to join their small circle. "Severus, no need to make a scene," he said calmly, interrupting the round of malicious glares from being exchanged.

Snape was fuming, but he let go of his current rage. "Headmaster, I assure you, they are all somehow responsible for--"

"I know," Dumbledore gave the unexpected reply that left Snape dumbfounded and the marauders with smug expressions all over their faces.

Sirius hid his scoff and feigned to be lost in thought for a mere second. "Y'know, Snape, you better get a move on to clean the halls and her office, which by the way I destroyed from scratch," commented Sirius, his smirk even brighter than it had been.

The Black heir spared a side-glance at Dumbledore, daring him to argue, who pointedly stared back in questionable interest. "We would want our beloved Hogwarts spotless."

Sirius wasn't the one to forget any hurt or shame ever inflicted on him, most especially if it was intentional and coming from an old nemesis.

Back when Sirius was confided to the walls of Grimmauld Place and unable to be meaningful to the Order, Snape had found pleasure in taunting him by referring to the work of decontaminating the house as mere 'cleaning,' just to ensure that Sirius felt utterly humiliated and helpless.

"Why don't you clean it yourself, Black? Out of experience, that's how you make yourself useful." Snape spoke in a low voice with the best comeback he could think of.

Sirius' voice seemed at ease, though his gaze was menacing enough. "I would love to mend whatever I broke, especially if it's something I care about as much as I do for Hogwarts. I'm sure you recall that I walked these halls like I owned them... but I'd love to see your hands in fixing the mess I don't regret doing."

"Who do you think you are--" Snape began, his dark eyes filled with blackening hatred.

Sirius merely stared at the greasy git with laughable amusement, challenging him without words.

"Sirius," hissed Remus meaningfully, before it got completely out of hand.

Sirius teared his gaze from Remus to settle a sharp glare on Snape. "I suggest you leave, Snivellus," he said swiftly.

"Severus, if you don't mind," said Dumbledore clearly.

It was the last thing Snape was willing to do, but Dumbledore chose this very minute to have a word with him. The headmaster meant to forcibly take Snape away, yet not before the Potion's master shot them all foul sneers.

"Well, that was... er, wicked," said Fred, his gaze circling around in awkward silence.

***********
Sirius threw Remus a glance and swept away from them, heaving a sigh. Harry called out his name, "Padfoot," on a desperate tone, following after him. Sirius didn't reply, simply walking off through the gate of the castle.

When Sirius was far enough from prying eyes and ears, he stopped in his tracks by the Black Lake and let out a shuddering breath.

"Sirius," said Harry, waiting for his godfather to face him. "I've been meaning to talk to you--"

"Me too," Sirius interrupted him in one breath. "I believe this is yours, Harry," he said in a reserved tone, pulling out the Firebolt broom and undoing the shrinking charm that had kept it safely tucked in his pocket. "I er, snatched it from her office."

Harry's eyes lit up with a sparkle of joy, and in effect, Sirius couldn't stop the small smile that overtook him.

"Oh, I-- Sirius, you're the best," said Harry, shaking his head in fond disbelief. He beamed even more, when Sirius gave him another radiant smile that for just a moment seemed authentic.

Sirius felt his heart warm up at his words, and he hoped it was almost true-- that this was actually what his godson thought of him. Before he knew it, his smile slipped away.

"With or without me, Harry, you would've gotten your broom back," replied Sirius after a long pause, his voice once again colorless that it infuriated Harry.

"Still-- it seems only right that you gift me this very same broom for a second time," said Harry, gently tracing the wooden broom with his fingers.

Harry smirked when he caught a glint of nostalgia in Sirius' eyes brighten in passing.

Sirius blinked, recalling when Padfoot was on the run --full of hunger and fear, triggered by revenge, just an abandoned outcast with no one to turn to. What had only kept Sirius at least content was sending his godson the best of all brooms after watching what a natural champion he was.

Back then, Sirius had been bubbling with a blend of pride and self-satisfaction, but now, he felt utterly downcast that it was his Harry, of all people, who had thrown him down the dumps.

Sirius cleared his throat, a sad smile prominent on his face.

"And er, here take your cloak, Harry," he supplied, his gaze detached, as the fading moonlight poured over them.

"It's as much yours as it is mine, y'know," replied Harry, trying to win him over once again.

Sirius only nodded, his eyes colder than he himself had intended. "The map is with Remus though."

"Okay," muttered Harry, huffing in irritation, as he shoved his round glasses up his nose.

"Well-- I have to go," said Sirius lowly, adjusting his sleeves. Upon Harry's stricken stare, Sirius gave him a hollow smile that didn't reach his dull eyes. Sirius patted his shoulder with a gentle squeeze, frowning when he stopped himself from holding his godson in a caring embrace. "I'll see you soon, Harry."

"Sirius, hey, you're not still mad at me, are you?" Harry asked him speedily before stopping himself, a chilling spark of frustration twinging through him on top of the guilt. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be."

Sirius sighed heavily, looking away to prevent his eyes from betraying him, for he knew how loud his stormy gaze could speak.

"Harry--" he said slowly.

"And don't just say it's nothing, because--" broke in Harry, rubbing a hand around his arm with a slight shiver, as the branches around him crackled from the light breeze.

But he wasn't ready for what would come next.

****
"Fine, fine," began Sirius, gritting his teeth, his tone rising in both volume and intensity.

"Wait, just hear me out first-- yes, I had a moment of doubt that you would kill her, but I was never more wrong in my life," mumbled Harry, unable to do anything but speak his truth. "Well, honestly, I've done worse, but you get the point," he meant to chuckle nervously, but the sharp air between them didn't get any lighter.

He frowned instead, looking at his godfather in the eyes. "Please, Sirius-- you have to forgive me."

"No sorrys!" Sirius exclaimed hotly, shaking his head in warning and tightly closing his eyes. "You stroke a nerve that I've been trying for so long to put to sleep."

Oh... Harry fell silent, still and speechless, but a foreign emotion of regret was bright in his eyes.

"And you-- coming from you, Harry, it stings." Sirius pushed along, struggling to keep his ongoing shudders inaudible.

The words hit Harry hard, but what made him even more devastated was that Sirius couldn't even look at him.

Sirius let out a humorless laugh, his gaze downcast. "Though it's much easier to be angry at someone you, you c-care about than to tell them you're hurt--" Sirius hated that his voice broke, having the attached emotion tremble inside him. "Still, even being mad at you isn't as simple as it should be, to me... so I don't know."

Even his confused voice was harsh enough to send shivers down Harry's spine. Harry swallowed slowly, his breath trembling, a sob stuck back in his throat.

"I just thought-- I fooled myself to believe that I meant more to you, Harry," said Sirius, a broken expression etched on his face, speaking more to himself than blaming his godson. "But you don't even trust me, that's all it truly is."

In a moment of brutal honesty with himself, Sirius couldn't find that much fault in Harry's reluctance to trust him... for he had failed over the years to become the right image of a trustworthy godfather.

At least now, Sirius knew where he stood with his only godson.

"No, don't say that," whispered Harry in a weak voice, his mind unable to form words of apology, if any could even save him.

Harry's desperation fell on deaf ears. One moment, Sirius' dark eyes were withering with emotion, and the next, they were void of any.

"You know what, it's really nothing," said Sirius bluntly, now visibly panting, and he meant to storm off before throwing his godson a clear glance for the first time since he started to vent.

***
In a glimpse, Sirius felt his wretched gaze soften, watching Harry silently fight his tears back into his eyes and bite onto his trembling lip... and just like that, genuine care outweighed his outraged pain.

"Oh, come here," said Sirius in a heartbeat, his arms wide with an open invitation to engulf his godson in a hug.

Harry didn't waste any time to launch himself into the warmth of his arms. Harry closed his eyes, releasing a cold tear to trail down his godfather's neck.

"Shh, shh, it's okay," muttered Sirius gently, squeezing his shoulder a bit tighter, when he felt Harry shake against him.

"I--I didn't mean to hurt you," whispered Harry, his voice muffled, salty tears welling up in his eyes all over again.

"You don't have to be sorry, Harry," said Sirius, forcing his eyes shut as though in pain, not bearing the waves of sadness vibing out of his boy.

"You mean so much to me," said Harry in a weak yet determined voice, tightening his grip on Sirius' jacket, not wanting to let go. "Trust me."

Sirius opened his eyes at Harry's last words --which he very much wanted to believe-- the truth behind the tone of desperation was effectively heart-felt. His ego in peace and his face at ease, not to mention his heart finally mended, Sirius felt his lips inch upward into a genuine smile.

Only when Sirius gently rubbed a hand in soothing circles across his back, did Harry relax against him, his nerves calmed.

"Hey, look at me," Sirius released the hold on his godson, gloomy grey eyes meeting tearful green ones. "I don't want to see you this sad again, okay?And least of all, Harry, not because of me."

Harry nodded, wiping the last of his tears from his cheek. He pondered whether this meant that all was forgiven and meant to ask his godfather, desperate to be assured, but his line of thoughts was cut off.

***
Hope you enjoyed the read :)

I am glad Sirius and Harry made up, releasing the tension between them and the frustration that was in my mind.

And it's a long chapter to make up for the wait, yay.

Might be triggering, that's your warning! Also, in real life, what is one thing you truly can't forgive? when done to you, you are forced to let go of the person who have hurt you, regardless how much you may love them?

Your votes and comments are the fuel I need to write.