Godfather and godson opened the door to the hospital wing to find no one there but Remus being looked over by Madame Pomfrey. His brown eyes remarkably lit up as they came to the light.

"So, where are the others?" Harry asked cautiously

"Oh, they have been so nicely forced out by Poppy," Remus said and recieved a motherly glare in response.

"Now, Mr. Lupin, stay still. This might sting a bit," the maternal nurse said, wand in hand. The battle had left him with numerous bruises and cuts that were just about to be healed.

"Pity, Moony," said Sirius, a smirk playing on his lips, his eyes circling around Remus' injuries.

"Don't pity me, Padfoot. Your turn is coming," replied Remus, glancing toward Poppy with a resembling smirk etched on his face. She acted as if she didn't notice the snide remark, handing him a potion.

"Rubbish," Sirius muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes.

Sirius always hated being locked in the hospital wing and fussed over. From the countable incidents of being forced to that situation, he always ended up sneaking out. It soon became a known fact that medical attention just never seemed to work with Sirius Black.

Remus, on the other hand, was a regular monthly visitor to the hospital wing that he even had his own bed, registered just for him, with no need for a name tag.

Remus wore his face of bravery and determination; he seemed far from relaxed. His fists clenched tightly on the bed covers, as he closed his eyes and winced in pain when the salve made contact with his opened wounds. It seemed like forever, to Remus, till Madame Pomfrey released him from his physical pain.

After politely thanking her, Remus smirked at her expectantly, as he was positive in predicting her next move.

"Mr. Black," she said pointedly and gestured with her eyes to an empty bed for him to be checked over like a good boy. But then again, Sirius Black was never the good boy.

"What? No! I am perfectly fine right here, Poppy, thankyouverymuch."

With an exaserpated sigh, she rushed forward and dragged him gently to the bed. She had to do it her way if it wasn't done nicely.

"Poppy!" Sirius whined more like a child.
"Don't Poppy me!" She said firmly yet she had a small smile sliding across her lips.

If Sirius remembered correctly, she never tolerated any room for arguments when it came to the health of her students, whether former or current.

Being forced to lay on the bed, Sirius leaned his head backward on the pillow, groaning in frustration.

Harry, who remained silent throughout all this, couldn't hold his amusement any longer. He cracked up laughing at his stubborn godfather being bossed by a certain Poppy.

Remus chuckled lightly, with a single thought playing at the back of his mind: Somethings just never change... who said we ever want them to change?

The maternal nurse waved her healer wand -quite advanced it was even more than before when she had the marauders as students- over his body and gasped at what it revealed.

"Oh dear," Poppy breathed, staring with wide eyes at what the wand revealed on a transparent banner. Her face draining of all the colour it had, pity sent shivers down her spine.

It was the look in her eyes when she glanced back at him that told Sirius what she now knew.

The laughter in their eyes faded away, worry taking its place. Harry paled significantly, without even noticing his jaw dropping nor his face falling.

"What?" Remus urged, panic getting the better of him. Surely, his condition couldn't be that serious.

Sirius glanced at a panic-stricken Harry and his old friend and looked back at Poppy with pleading eyes urging her to not reveal. His lips mouthed to her: please don't. His throat was dry and couldn't even intervene with words or recover the situation.

He could see that she was struggling with herself. She scratched the back of her neck nervously, trying to find the right words. "Erm, no it is just.. He only has three broken ribs."

Sirius relaxed significantly and gave her a slight nod along with a grateful smile sending a silent thank you.

Remus sighed in relief, her reaction made him fear it would be much more severe. Harry slumped himself to the chair, he had thought of the worse that his godfather was on the edge of dying--although he didn't look like being so. But now, he realized how stupid he was.

Remus chuckled, "Surely, you have some guts to be able to handle broken ribs, Sirius or don't you?"

But before Sirius had time to say anything, Madame Pomfrey said darkly, talking more to herself than to anyone else, "he handled much more."

Sirius cut her off a bit too quickly, "Poppy, thank you for such a compliment but don't be that dramatic. Now, if you please, fix these ribs and get it over with." She did just that and walked away wordlessly, her mind racing with questions and worries.

Sirius had agonizing images flashing at the back of his mind, but he shook them off quite forcefully. He tried to reassure himself that horrors of the past would always remain in the past.. sadly enough they couldn't change, but gratefully they wouldn't come back.

Sirius was snapped back to reality by a ringing shriek from his godson, "oh no, Sirius!"

"Wha--?" Sirius was startled that he almost fell from the bed.

"Sirius, you shouldn't be here. What if they capture you?" Harry exclaimed in fearful worry for his godfather before groaning in frustration at himself, "Why couldn't I see it before?"

"Harry, just calm down. I--" Sirius tried to reassure him but was cut off in mid-sentence.

"No, you need to leave now, just change into Snuffles and go, please." Harry stood up quickly, his urgent voice roared in spite of himself as his eyes reflected determined panic that left no room for negotiation.

In truth, Harry wanted anything but Sirius leaving him but then again he wouldn't live with himself if his godfather was chopped back to Azkaban for this.

"Harry, stop blabbering and just listen. Do you honestly think I would just leave him wandering around like this if there was a small chance of him being sent back?" Remus' voice was slightly louder than usual. He watched with anticipation as realization made its way flashing into Harry's eyes.

Harry was taken aback by this, musing... it's true, Remus cares about Sirius as much as he does. But if he placed the pieces of the puzzle together, this could only mean one thing.

"What do you mean?" Harry hiccupped hopefully, his voice nothing but a whisper. He waited for the answer with much eagerness as though his life depended on it.

"It is what you think it is, Harry. I am free," Sirius said, his eyes marked with sincerity urging Harry to believe.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief that he held for what felt like years, accounting for every year he wanted and waited to hear this -- ever since he looked at Sirius as his godfather.

"Free as in free?" He stuttered, having his hopes up. Not wanting it to ever crumble back down.

Sirius sighed dramatically and looked downward at his fingers as though fascinated by it. "No, I am just playing tricks with you. And the dementors are waiting for me outside. I gave up on everything, Harry. I am just given some time to say my final goodbye."

For a moment, just a moment, Harry thought Sirius meant what he said, and he had the urge to burst out again. His eyes mirrored hurtful disappointment.

But when Harry saw the smirk across his godfather's face and the mischief in his shinning eyes, he significantly relaxed and gave Sirius a playful glare.

Sirius threw his head backward giving his bark-like laugh, exclaiming, "I can't believe you fell for that. You'd be very easy to prank." His laughter was cut off as he said with more seriousness in his eyes, "You trust people very quickly, Harry."

"Not all people, only those who deserve to be trusted," was all Harry had to say, with a small smile gracing his features.

"Come here, you," said Sirius, engulfing his godson in a bear-hug. By doing so, they both felt whole.

Harry's face brightened, eyes coming alive at the prospect, when he realized what all this meant. We'd be a proper family, now! That's all that mattered now but still he couldn't help his curious nature from getting the better of him, as it always did.

"Tell me how it all happened. I want to know everything." Eyes alight with curiosity was what Sirius saw when he released his godson.

Sirius and Remus had hoped such an inquiry would come later, if at all. They didn't find it quite amusing to retell a story around the day's events.

Despite having Harry right in front of them, looking more alive than ever, the sight of his lifeless body was still fresh in their minds and eyes. They were fully aware it would take quite some time till it gradually evaporated into nothingness.

Sirius placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, cautious emerald met slightly pained grey eyes. "Harry, do me a favour, will you? Hold in your curiosity a bit, at least for now... I am not sure we are ready to recount this now," Sirius said as calmly as he could master. To their relief, Harry nodded yet reluctantly.

Harry glanced sideways at Remus, who had a glint of relief flashing across his amber eyes that had remarkable pain settled in, and sighed. Harry sensed what it had felt like for them a few hours ago, and he mentally promised by all he had that he wouldn't cause them any further pain as long as he could control it.

"Anyways, you have to thank Moony over here, it was all his doing. I would have been soul-less by now if it weren't for him being my advocate when I didn't even attempt to stand up for myself."

Sirius' voice was thick with emotion. Eyes shinning, a fierce gratitude erupted deep within him. He wanted to thank Remus and this was his chance.

"I did nothing, Paddy. It was only a payback for years and years of your supportive friendship. That's what I should have done when you were first framed all those years ago."

Remus could feel his eyes sting with the burning sensation of tears, but he did his best to hold them back. Never had he stopped hitting himself for giving up on Sirius, believing he was the traitor for twelve depressing years.

The brotherly embrace that followed between the remaining marauders gave Harry a novel sense of safety and warmth.

Harry's genuine smile rapidly turned into the trademark Potter grin as he said, "I have my own surprise for you, both of you."

Sitting up straight in eagerness, grey and amber eyes remarkably lit up with curiosity. Harry was just about to excitedly recount his own story with his parents to the remaining marauders when the door of the hospital wing burst open revealing a fuming father and his sons.

Before the door slammed again with a loud bang, it was unnoticeable to most of the occupants of the room that by the end of the corridor stood a pale faced blonde boy. Fearful yet determined eyes kept on searching frantically till it met the gaze of his school enemy, Harry Potter. Just then, the boy rushed himself out of view before anyone knew what he was up to.

"Ok, so here we are away from the Great Hall just as you requested, now what is the meaning of this?" Arthur snapped, voice echoing through the walls of the hospital wing. He was holding an official suspension document of his twin sons.

If it was anyone else other than them, they would have been in serious trouble. Those twins, however, already had so much in their mischievous record to account this as a life-changing disaster.

Arthur crossed his arms against his chest and looked at them pointedly, demanding answers or rather excuses for such a behaviour.

"Tell me exactly what you did. If I were you, I wouldn't lie about it. Your mother is bloody furious already," Arthur said, irritation greatly evident in his tone.

Fred began, scratching the back of his neck nervously, "it was just that--"

George attempted, looking at the floor, "Dad, we did--"

"--Absolutely nothing," they both said in unison, a bit too quickly.

Sirius threw his head backward giving his bark-like laugh for the second time in an hour, and that's something he hadn't done in years. He had missed the feeling that came along with laughter.

Harry saw a slightly different Sirius now, a Sirius younger than he had ever seen him to be. He wondered if that was the real Sirius he now had the chance to really know... and if that was the first glimpse of his father's partner in crime -- scratch that, partner in mischief-- that left Professor Mcgonagall with countless grey hair.

Sirius patted the twins good-naturedly on the back. "Nah-ah, that wasn't the right thing to say. Try again easy and slow now, come up with a better excuse to get yourself out of whatever you've really done," he said, a smirk playing on his lips.

That was something Sirius had learned from his golden years of pranking experience from being a marauder at heart. Such a role model for young pranksters, indeed, he was. Anyone who had the guts to argue against that deserved a simple stunning spell coming his way.

The inseparable brothers caught each other's eyes, reaching the silent agreement, for once, to truthfully confess. They didn't want to hide their new business any longer. Either way, it was only a matter of time till it ceased being a secret.

Besides, they were also proud of what they've done to the pink toad and were more than willing to carry that specific prank with them to their graves.

So why would we attempt to hide such an honorary act, in the first place? This was what their mental wheels rotated around.

"We weren't suspended, we left ourselves," began Fred with remarkable ease.

"It was a grand departure, mind you," George said, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Yeah! The look on that old toad's face was beyond imaginable," Fred elaborated along the same lines.

"And we shouted for Peeves to give her Hell from us. Despite Peeves being who he is, he accepted our order with ease and respect, with more mischief in his eyes than we ever saw. And that is saying something," George continued happily, mischief caught in his eyes.

"It was worth all the effort exerted for months of planning and the countless magical fireworks used. It definitely paid off in the end," Fred said, filled with pride.

Just then, they were joined by Ron and Hermione, entering the hospital wing at the echoes of excitement erupting from the red-headed twins.

"Wait, you could even ask them," Fred exclaimed, almost jumping on his feet like a toddler.

"It was--" Hermione's chocolate eyes shined with joy at the memory.

"--Wicked!" Ron completed Hermione's sentence, truly meaning it.

Gred and Forge exclaimed together "yeah" with a high-five. And that is something they do quite a lot, in every possible occasion.

"Hey, why don't you ask during the end-of-year-feast if anyone, from year one to seven-not to mention the professors themselves, didn't enjoy that superb show?" George suggested or rather challenged.

"If you come back with a single person- under one condition of him not being a thick-skulled git, then we deserve to be punished," Fred carried on from George's train of thoughts.

"If I were you, Dad, I wouldn't accept such a challenge," George threatened, confidence evident in his voice.

"Is that so?" Arthur said, half-irritated and half-amused.

In a victory dance, circling around each other in a train, they exclaimed at the top of their lungs.
"Weeeee
Becaaame
Legends !!!!"

Arthur's remaining grumpiness eventually evaporated as their excited squeals hit his eardrum. He didn't know how to respond, only sure of one thing: he felt a surge of pride taking over him, these boys truly honoured the Weasley family name.

But still, as a father, he had to scold them for such irresponsible and impulsive deeds, as Molly would always put it into words.

"That was very wrong, boys, very wrong indeed." Arthur himself seemed doubtful of his own words, especially after knowing what that Umbridge woman was like: ministry-loving and evilly abusive was an understatement.

Arthur tried again, "you did that just before your NEWTs, it is unbelievable. At least, you could have waited to finish your exams and--" but he was cut off mid-sentence.

"OWLs are sufficient enough," Fred said decisively.

"Besides, our magical talents are way beyond the subtle educational degree," George agreed.

Sharing a knowing look with his twin, Fred said, "And don't worry, dad we have everything under control"

But that only seemed to worry Arthur even more, he braced himself for a disaster to come.

"We are launching our new business in the best thing we know of, spreading laughter through tricks and pranks," George said as a matter of fact, with a proud grin etched on his face.

Arthur was taken aback, surprised to say the very least, "Business? How... from where?"

They all suddenly tensed, knowing this was a touchy matter especially to Arthur. His face would always turn red in shame and hurt when his financial status, and by extension that of his family, was brought up in any way.

Fred cleared his throat, not daring to meet his father's gaze. "Harry.. gave us his Triwizard award," he replied hesitantly.

Mind reeling with thoughts, Arthur found himself speechless unable to voice any of them. After moments of silence, but felt like infinity, he had his eyes on Harry. His gaze wasn't angry nor hurt nor embarrassed, it was grateful and loving.

"Thank you, Harry... I- I appreciate it," Arthur said, emotion thick in his voice and features.

Harry in return shook his head, "That's the least I could do to repay everything you've all done for me. Money is cheaper than love and care, I still owe you a lot. You gave me much more."

Harry had always intended and tried to show the Weasleys, the first family to ever give him a sense of safety and care, what these words meant. He was the one who appreciated and would always appreciate what they did to him.

A simple thank you wasn't expressive enough, he had been trying to tell them that for years.... ever since they opened their door widely for him and welcomed him with open hearts.

Arthur's face brightened beyond measure, more than Harry had ever seen it do so. Appreciation and pride were emotionally overwhelming yet a blissful experience, Arthur thought. He was truly thankful for knowing someone as pure-hearted and grateful as Harry.

Realizing that they've won this specific argument, Fred broke the comfortable silence. "Dad, we are truly hurt. You should be proud of us for what we've done," he said, huffing his chest in pride.

"We expected more from you," George said, sharing the same mock pained face, to which Arthur cracked a smile. "We demand some support from you, Mr." George carried on, with a playful glare toward his father.

Arthur rolled his eyes half-heartedly at their over-exaggeration, he still couldn't imagine his life without them not even for a second.

"You boys are a painful headache... that I never want to take a pain-killer pill for." This is all what Arthur had to say, with full sincerity. He saw their faces falling after the first part of the sentence but then regained their composure.

Something was drawn on the twins' identical lips, it was novel to them: not their signature mischievous smirk, but more of a genuinely soft loving smile.

Minutes later, the rational marauder, Remus, approached them slowly, "Just so you know, you may have won a single battle in convincing Arthur, but don't expect Molly to be as lenient and easy going."

The twins sighed, knowing how true these words were. Out of the blue, identical grins simultaneously spread across the two pairs of faces, reaching the same conclusion of the necessity to formulate a plan to be ready for such an encounter. As always, they would leave no place for failure.

"Aside from that, I personally think what you've done was ... really meaningful and great." Remus continued, with an expression of amazed appreciation.

Maybe it was for the best, for the greater good, to have some laughter and hope in such thick midst of darkness they were surrounded with. That's what they all seemed to agree on.

***
Madame Pomfrey made up her mind to talk with him over it. She left her quiet office, but her thoughts couldn't leave her racing mind-she couldn't even slow them down.

"Siri- erm, Mr. Black, if you please, I'd like a word," she said cautiously, and he spun around with a grim sigh. He had no other option but to walk along with her, specifically to avoid the others' questioning gazes.

She opened her mouth to ask him one of the questions she had, but found herself closing it again without uttering a single word, unable to voice any of her racing thoughts.

"How did you know Poppy? Why was it now, not anytime before?" Sirius broke the silence that encompassed between them.

"It is the wand. It reveals the history of injuries inflicted," she spoke sadly, a frown plastered on her face.

"Thank you, Poppy. I really am grateful that you kept it a secret," said Sirius, nodding slightly as a heavy sigh escaped him.

"I just can't imagine how--" She shook her head and was left speechless.

The pity he saw in her eyes and heard in her voice killed him from within.

"Oh, come on. Don't do this, please. Besides, it is all done. I got an end to it before it did to me."

"You should have opened up and revealed it to someone, anyone," she said, sympathy swirling in her gaze.

"What should I have said, may I ask? That I was abused by my parents. My own family killed my childhood innocence just because I decided to be different. It wasn't only hatred or sincere disappointment they had in store for me but all sort of dark curses."

"How-- could you never have told anyone? How could you have held all that inside of you?" Poppy exclaimed, disbelief ringing out in her voice.

Closing his eyes, Sirius knew this wasn't exactly true. Only four people knew, before Poppy being the fifth now. Minnie was the first to know when he broke down in her office in his first year. Three out of these five stopped breathing for years now: James and his parents knew when he left Grimmauld Place, for what he thought would be the last time, to the Potter residence.

At this moment, Sirius had no idea that Remus had his trembling hands on the doorknob and was left thunder-struck after unintentionally eavesdropping to their entire conversation.

Not believing his ears, Remus walked back to the sound of laughter surrounding the hospital wing. He was well aware that the Blacks weren't sunshine daisies, but he never really gave it a thought that they were that horrible.

The old headmaster had just came into view and seemed relieved to see Sirius outside, almost alone, since that made it easier than detaching him from the others to have a word with him. He approached closer and looked at them worriedly for the lack of conversation spinning between them.

"Excuse me, it seems you had given Sirius all what needs to be said. If you would so kindly leave us to discuss some topics," Albus said, eying them carefully.

Madame Pomfrey glanced from Dumbledore to Sirius then back to the headmaster. Silently, she gave a swift nod and reached for the doorknob. But before she could come any closer, the door swung open very quickly that almost slumped Poppy to the floor.

"Sirius, it is Harry," a panic-stricken Remus Lupin exclaimed, fear swirling in his gaze.

Uh-oh. No, not again. Without a second thought, Sirius ran past Remus to his godson, the others coming along on his heels, not far behind.

At the sight that met his eyes, Sirius felt a fierce hand slapping him straight on the face. But it didn't hurt as much as his heart hammering widely in his chest.

Well, that was supposed to be a light chapter if you scratched the last couple of lines.

I used to get frustrated when authors leave us with cliffhangers but I found myself doing the same. That's what writers learn!

Hope you liked it!

Your opinion would mean the world to me.

So don't forget to comment, vote and share.

Also, which pranksters do you like most? The marauders or Gred and Forge?