Harry Potter: The Saviour's Awakening

Once Rita was gone, Sirius smirked as he looked at the contract. Duplicating it, he gave one to his godson and kept handed the original copy to his house-elf so that it could be kept safe in his study. They now controlled the biggest and most popular media outlet in Magical Britain.

"How was the meeting with Lucius Malfoy?" asked Harry, raising an eyebrow.

Sirius' face turned an angry red. "That fool didn't even know that there was a basilisk at Hogwarts. Can you believe that? Once he realised that his own son had been in danger because of his actions, he was literally white as a sheet! It wasn't until I threatened him with delicate information did he bow down to my demands and trust me, it was not easy negotiating with him and still keep my temper in check! I felt like killing him then and there!"

"So, what did you get out of him?"

"I snatched his seat on the Board of Governors. Combined with your seat as Lord Gryffindor, I will have two with one of them being permanent, so I can make myself the chairman if I'm interested. The majority of the Board is actually filled with traditionalists now after the last reshuffle, so I have a majority. I also got a few very profitable businesses that I wanted, one of them being a potions ingredients farm in Northern France. Finally, I caused a bit of trouble for him with the French Ministry of Magic by leaking some of his shadier deals, so he's currently bribing his way out of there. Also, Dobby!"

The elf popped in front of them. "Lord Black sir," said the elf, his face lighting up. "What can Dobby do for Lord Black?"

"Nothing for me, Dobby, but my godson was the one who wanted you freed from Lucius Malfoy," said Sirius, pointing at Harry.

"Harry Potter sir wanted to free Dobby?" asked the elf tearfully. "Harry Potter is greater than Dobby knew!"

Harry smiled slightly. "You may not have gone about it the right way, but I can't forget the fact that you risked your life to warn me about your master's plot. So I couldn't, with a good conscience, leave you there. So, Dobby, would you like to be my elf?"

Dobby began crying loudly. "It is Dobby's greatest dream to be Harry Potter's elf! Dobby accepts!"

"Good. Go to Potter Castle; Tippy will give you fresh clothes and tell you what you need to do."

"That is all, Dobby," said Sirius, dismissing the elf. Dobby bowed to them and disappeared with a crack . The two of them were silent for a while until Sirius looked at his godson with narrowed eyes.

"Don't think you're getting off easy, Harry," he said quietly. "You're in big trouble. I never thought you were this reckless and stupid. Going into the Chamber of Secrets alone, without an adult to help you, knowing that there was a basilisk inside was short-sighted and foolish. Would you mind telling me what you were thinking?"

Harry swallowed slightly as he saw the furious expression on his godfather's face. This was a lot more difficult than explaining it to Daphne. "Sirius, I did want to tell someone," he began, "but I guess I got carried away. I was angry and after I read the information Daphne had found out, I decided to see if her theory was right. When the entrance opened, I decided to go for it. What else could I have done?"

"What else could I have done?" repeated Sirius angrily. "I'll tell you what you should have done. You should have contacted me immediately! This was a bloody thousand-year-old basilisk which turned out to be seventy feet long! No snake in history has been this large and deadly. It could have killed you with one stare alone, and you nearly died there! You were bitten by a basilisk, whose venom is considered the deadliest in the world. If Fawkes had not followed you, I don't even want to think of the consequences. This should have been handled by Ministry experts, not a twelve-year-old boy!"

"I'm nearly thirteen," said Harry quietly.

Sirius snorted at the typical teenage response. Taking a deep breath, he said, "I'm very disappointed in you, Harry. I expected better from you. I know that you're an exceptional boy and I'm very proud of the way you defeated the basilisk, but can't you see from my perspective? You nearly died, son, and I can't ignore that!"

The butterflies in his stomach returned when Harry heard Sirius refer to him as his son once again. His voice was caught in his throat as he tried to say something, but he couldn't. He was feeling emotions he couldn't identify and that confused him more than anything.

"Right," Sirius nodded to himself. "Your punishment is to clean the stables and dungeons at Black Castle this summer for two weeks - without magic. I've done the same during my childhood and I know how hard it was and how much I hated it. It will give you time to reflect on your actions."

"Two weeks?" asked Harry incredulously. "Without magic?"

"I can always make it three."

Harry opened his mouth but closed it immediately. No, it was futile to argue with Sirius; he knew that from past experience when he had forced Harry to go to a Mind Healer after the Lockhart incident.

Sirius sighed softly as he extended his arms. "Come here, Harry," he said softly.

Harry hesitated, but he sat down next to his godfather who wrapped his arms around him tightly. Having now being used to it, he stiffened only an instant before melting into the embrace.

"I'm not doing this because I enjoy punishing you, Harry," said Sirius quietly. "You should realise what you did wrong and ensure that you learn from your mistakes. Your parents would not have wanted you so unnecessarily risking your life when your future is looking bright. You want to make James and Lily proud, don't you?"

"Of course!"

"Then don't do something this reckless again. You nearly died, Harry, and I can't believe I came this close to losing you. I hope you won't be doing something like this again, son, because I would be severely disappointed if you do."

"Do you really consider me your son?" asked Harry, looking up at his godfather, his voice very soft. He honestly sounded like a small child.

Harry may be a nearly thirteen-year-old boy who was quite mature for his age, but he was also quite abused during his childhood. Those scars had never quite faded from his mind, even if those on his body had disappeared. He still remembered the time he had pined for his parents or anyone else who would take care of him and be a father figure to him that he could look up to. Even as he grew up, he subconsciously still pined for a parental figure who cared about him. Growing up, he had watched as Dudley was constantly showered with attention from his parents. He had seen Aunt Petunia give Dudley loving hugs while he got nothing but scorn and disdain. He could see the proud look in Uncle Vernon's eyes when he saw Dudley, but nothing but anger and hate when he looked at Harry.

....

Join my exclusive P@treon community for 60+ thrilling chapters!

Link: pa*treon.com/MidnightWonder (Remove the *)

If you join now you will get 2 Chapters for free as well.

Don't miss out, join now!