A Sirius Summer

24th August 1995

The realisation that he might be rooming with Slytherin's for the next three years hit Harry that morning as he woke from a dream where he was chased from Hogwarts house to Hogwarts house by various students each claiming he didn't belong with them. As much as his chat with Sirius had calmed his initial nerves about his sorting, he couldn't deny that he may soon be sharing a dorm with people who would just as soon as curse him as look at him.

Sure, Malfoy had been decent in his letters, but Harry knew better than to assume that courtesy extended to real life and it defiantly would not help him with the rest of the Slytherin students.

Searching through the stack of defence books Remus had left on his desk a few day ago, Harry picked up a slim volume titled Warding for the Unwary. Flicking through the chapters he was pleased to discover it guided the reader through several basic rune sequences that, when etched onto wearable items, would protect the wearer from various dangers.

Actually, whichever house he ended up in, it would be better for him to have some protection. If the past four years were anything to judge by, Harry could almost guarantee that someone would try to hex him or curse him before the first month was out. Even in Gryffindor he seemed to go from popular to enemy of the house on a term-time basis.

With that thought in mind he asked Kretcher if there was any plain jewellery lying around that he could practice on. The house elf had outdone himself and Harry was soon presented with an overflowing box of silver pendants that had accumulated throughout the many generations of Blacks. Picking up a plain round silver pendant, about the size of a sickle, Harry started sketching the rune sequence he would need to follow from the book on a spare bit of parchment.

Once he was happy with a design, the next task was to carve it onto the pendant, while simultaneously infusing the carvings with his magic. This proved to be much more difficult than the simple rune carvings he had done so far. The smaller surface area of the pendants meant he had to be extremely precise in his etchings, the slightest mistake could not just cause the pendant not to work, it might imbue an entirely different effect into the surface, one that would not have pleasant consequences when worn.

A small stack of discarded pendants were littered around him, giving off a faint echo of magickal power, sighing to himself, Harry stretched out his arms and wiggled his fingers, cramped from so long tensed etching the small objects. Glancing to the clock in the corner of the room, he saw that there was still an hour before Sirius wanted to meet him for the day's tutoring. With a grin he turned back to the amulet, letting out a pleased hum at the feeling of magic emitting from the soft metal. His father was going to get a surprise when they duelled this afternoon.

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"Faster Harry Faster. Your feet need to be in sync with the rest of your defence." Sirius shouted while casting a never ending stream of jinxes and hexes in the unfortunate teens direction. Harry did his best to avoid them, deflecting a few with a shield, but having to step back to get out of the way of a jelly legs jinx. Unfortunately this got his legs caught in his robes and he fell back into a pile of furniture that had been stacked in the corner of the room.

"You okay?"

Harry groaned climbing slowly back to his feet, stretching out his bruised limbs.

"Yeah, the furniture did more damage than your hex." He grinned at his father, who sighed, shaking his head slightly as he fixed the damaged they had both caused to each other and the room. He then conjured two glasses, filling them with water, that Harry gratefully gulped down.

"Would you mind explaining why I did not need to cast the counter for the last three jinxes I sent at you?" Sirius asked, once they had both rehydrated a bit, "I know for sure I hit you."

Sheepishly harry reached into the top of his shirt pulling out the pendant he had etched earlier. Sirius gently took it, turning the small silver disk over and inspecting the runes carved on its surface.

"Where did you get this Harry?" He asked gravely. "You should know better than to wear unknown jewellery."

"I... uh.. Imadeit." Harry rushed out his head low to avoid his father's expression. Sirius was silent for a moment, turning the pendant over between his fingers.

"I'm impressed pup." He finally said, "I didn't realise you had moved on to doing protection wards with your runes. You been doing a bit of extra reading?"

Harry nodded shyly.

"I am worried that the students will hate me again this year when I get sorted." He explained. "I wanted to figure out some protection that I could wear while in the corridors. Kretcher gave me the old pendants to try out some rune sets I found in a book."

"It is a good idea," Sirius nodded, handing back the pendant. "But not something you should be relying on. Now that you know it works I want you to leave it off for our training sessions. You won't learn to dodge or block effectively if you have something like that around your neck."

Harry sighed, he knew that Sirius was speaking sense, but he didn't fancy being hit by another round of jinxes and hexes when he inevitably couldn't keep up with the ex-aurors vicious duelling style.

"Come on, back to it." Sirius grinned, sending a weak stinging hex to Harry's backside. "Let's see how you do without help."

Harry groaned as he met his father once more in combat. Sirius was unlike anything he had read about or seen, combining not only the standard duelling hexes, but mixing in transfigurations and prank hexes as well. It meant harry had to be always on guard, dodging anything he didn't recognise just in case his basic protego shield could not block them.

It was another sweaty hour before Sirius called a halt to their session. After a quick shower Harry rejoined him in his office, settling down on the sofa in front of the fire as Kretcher served them both afternoon tea.

"So, pup. Want to tell me why you have started making protective amulets?" Sirius asked as he made up a plate of the finger sandwiches kretcher had placed between them.

"Uh well, um, you remember what you said a few days ago about me being resorted." Harry trailed off playing with the crust of a cucumber sandwich.

"You are worried about any potential new house mates hexing you?" Sirius guessed with a sigh. "This is your way to avoid any nasty situations."

"Yeah, I know that loads of the students don't really like me. Probably more than I realised if I have been making as many etiquette blunders as I think I have. It just seems that whichever house I end up in I will probably have people hexing me at some point."

"Unfortunately I think you are right." Sirius sighed looking a bit defeated, "You have the right idea with the amulets, although as I said earlier do not get complacent with them. All it takes it one overpowered hex, or some obscure spell not covered by the ward you used and you will be hit."

"Yeah I was thinking of just using them when I was asleep, you know like extra protection."

"I can teach you some basic wards for your bed and belongings too. While they do not exactly fit in with the Hogwart's rules, I would prefer you to be safe than ending up in the hospital wing."

"You know chances are I will end up there anyway." Harry said with a grin. It was no secret Madame Pomphry kept a bed just for him.

"If I make one demand on you this year, it is to keep your hospital visits to a minimum. I have only just gained my son back. I do not wish to loose you to whatever hair-raising nonsense you find yourself in this year."

"Of course father," Harry said, putting on the pureblood mask he had been developing with Walburga, "It would be in poor taste for me to act in any manner unbefitting an Heir to the house of both Potter and Black."

"Brat, I know you will be getting fixed up as soon as the quidditch season starts." Sirius' grinned before his expression turned serious again, "Just please be careful."

"Of course dad." Harry said softly, taking his father's hand and giving it a squeeze. "Just promise me that you will be careful this year too. I have only just got you back. I don't want to loose you either."
Sirius nodded pulling Harry across the sofa an into a hug. They stayed, basking in the familial comfort while they still had the chance.