Aww

hey!! it's me again (: hope ur having an amazing day darling!! ok so i was wondering if you have any fics or could find any where an adult or someone us mad at peter and he just cries? or just breaks? because he HATES disappointing people or really just shocked :/ i just need that angst atm u know? it doesn't have to be tony or anyone specific, hell even mj if u want but yeah!! i just wanted to ask <3 smile and keep going!! love u and thank you always for giving me fanfics!! ─rie

Hi darling! here you go! don’t forget to comment and leave kudos. ily, thanks for asking and for the sweet words and i hope your day is lovely too x 

I Do Listen To You by Icylightning

Tony was not having a good week. Too bad he takes his anger out on Peter.

-

work overload by captainstarspangled

In which Peter is actually Tony’s intern and Pepper makes him cry.

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Can’t take the heat by Webtrinsic

Peter knows its not Mr. Stark’s fault he can’t handle being yelled at, that doesn’t stop the man from feeling guilty though.

-

Swallow Your Pride (And Say You’re Sorry) by breadknee

Tony Stark has spent his whole life saying shitty things. He should’ve known he would hurt Peter too.

-

The Tumblr Archives: Chapter 22: Shout, Shout, Let It All Out by losingmymindtonight

Written for the anon who left the prompt: “peter doing something self sacrificing and stupidly heroic during a fight and tony is like. fucking screaming at him once they’re safe cause he doesn’t wanna loose his kid but he stops when he sees peters eyes wide in fear, hands shaking, knees about to give out and tony realizes just how fucking scary it must’ve been to have to step up and do whatever the stupidly heroic act was, especially for a teenager…”

WARNINGS: mention of past child abuse, lots of explicit language, yelling

-

1. “i’m trying” by spjderloki

peter comes back after a long patrol and his dad isn’t in the best mood ever.

this is so me lmao

sirius: i’m so mysterious

also sirius 10 minutes after meeting anyone: -and i think that’s the day my mom stopped loving me

@impishtubist

We neeeed u to write this

About Sirius always having Harry’s back.

Sirius: “MY godson would NEVER punch your… kid….”

Harry: *aggressively shaking his head*

Sirius: “Unless YOUR kid deserved it. Because to me it looks like he did”

Carla when I tell you I almost sent this EXACT scenario to @impishtubist two hours ago 😂😂😂 CACKLING

GGSB Fest 2024 - The Honor of a Name

@goodgodfathersiriusblack

Prompt Harry's kids

Harry worries about being a parent, but Sirius is there to support him as a good godfather and an even better grandfather.

AO3

***

Harry had been a nervous wreck throughout the pregnancy, even though he wasn’t the one pregnant.  His wife, Luna, assured him that they would be good parents, even if they hadn’t quite been raised by good parents.  Yes, Luna had her father around, but he was … not the greatest, loving though.  Harry technically raised by the Dursleys (who sucked), with some support by Sirius but between being on the run and dying and coming back later… well, there wasn’t consistent parenting.  

At least he’s trying now.

Throughout Harry’s many, many nights of waking him up and telling him about how he couldn’t do this.  He hadn’t wanted to worry Luna because he knew that Sirius would be able to calm him down, but now, she’s in labor and he’s freaking out and he can’t breathe and it’s –

“Hey, I’m here, Harry.”

Harry looks up from where he was sitting outside her room – she said he was freaking her out and he needed to calm down outside.

“Oh, Sirius, thank Merlin – I can’t – I can’t do this.  I’m not ready to be a father!” Harry practically yells, earning looks from the people in the vicinity.  

Sirius sits next to him and puts an arm around his shoulders.  “Listen to me, Kid.  No one ever thinks they’re ready and I get it.  You haven’t had the best examples for parents when you were younger, but – but – you are an incredible young man and you and Luna will make wonderful parents.”

“How can you say that when you don’t know –”

“I do know, though, because I know you and you are an incredible young man that has been through a lot – you manage to adapt to any situation and thrive – the same will be true for this, I promise.”

Harry looks up at him and sees sincerity in his eyes.  “I can’t do it alone.”

“You’re not alone,” Sirius says.  “This baby is going to have two wonderful parents, two grandfathers and a whole bunch of Weasleys to help you out.”

Harry grins and lets out a chuckle.  “Yeah, yeah, you’re right, of course.”

“Now, go in there and keep your wife calm – it’s what she needs from you right now.”

“Of course.”

Harry gives him a hug and says, “You’ll stay?”

“Of course.  Anything for you, kid.”

***

Two hours later, a very tired looking Harry appears in the doorway.  “Would you like to meet my son?”

Sirius grins.  “Naturally.”

He follows Harry into the room, where Luna is looking just as tired, but happy.  She’s holding a little boy that looks remarkedly like Harry – those Potter genes are something special.

“We have someone we’d like you to meet,” Luna says, “Would you like to hold him?”

“Of course, of course.” 

He takes the baby in his arms and can’t help thinking about Harry when he was born.  “He looks just like you, Harry.”

Harry grins.  “And like his grandfather, James.  Who he’s named after.”

“Baby James,” Sirius says, looking up to spare them a smile.  “I love it.”

“You’ll love his middle name even more,” Luna says.  “Harry, would you like to…”

Harry clears his throat nervously, causing Sirius look up.  

“We’d like to name him after you – James Sirius Potter,” Harry says, looking at him hopefully.  

“Oh… oh, Harry… Luna… really?” Sirius says stuttering.  “That’s such an honor…”

“An honor that you deserve.”

Sirius looks down at the baby in his arms, and smiles, nodding.  “Thank you.  I only hope that I continue to do the honor right.”

“You will.”

***

James Sirius Potter is the light of all of their lives, and Harry can’t help grinning at seeing Sirius so full of grandfatherly cheerfulness.  It’s a blessing and a curse.  

There’s a part of him that wishes he’d gotten that with Sirius, but he loves what he has with him, too, it’s different, but lovely.

Just as he’s about to call them in for lunch, Luna comes out of the house where she’d been resting.  Heavily pregnant and meant to be on bed rest, Harry immediately worries, “Is something wrong?”

“I am in labor,” Luna groans.  

Harry nods.  “Better get you to the hospital,” she nods and wobbles away to the car.  “Sirius!”

Sirius turns at the yell and can immediately see the stress on Harry’s face.

“Luna’s in labor, will you –”

“Take care of my grandson?  Yes.”

Harry lets out a relieved breath.  “Thanks.”

“Just worry about your wife, I’ve got everything handled here.”

“You’re the best,” Harry says before disappearing after his wife.  

Time to have another baby.

***

Sirius is grinning as he holds three-year-old James in his arms, and looking at the happy, yet exhausted Harry and Luna.  

The pink bundle in Harry’s arms looking remarkedly like Luna.  

“So, what’s this one’s name?”

“Lily Pandora Potter,” Harry says, grinning.  “We weren’t sure which should go first, but Luna insisted.  

Sirius smiles.  “She’s beautiful.”

“But she’s early, so she and Luna are going to have to stay a few days, would you mind…”

“Watching my favorite grandson – I can say that, ‘cause I only have one – while you’re gone?  Not at all.” Sirius states before turning to James in his arms.  “Jamie and I will have all sorts of fun, right, Jamie?”

“Yeah!”

“There you have it,” Sirius states.  He reaches out his free arm to squeeze Harry’s shoulder.  “I got this; you don’t have to worry about a thing.”

***

Harry smiles as he sits beside Sirius in his backyard a few years later.  Sirius had been a delightful godsend.  Always there with advice, willing to listening about Harry’s woes, or just to give Harry (and Luna) a break – the perfect grandparent. 

“You’ve done well with them, you know,” Sirius offers as he watches Luna chasing them around.  “In a few years, they’ll be off at Hogwarts, and everything will be great.”

“Everything is great – partially thanks to you,” Harry says, smiling.  “Best grandfather ever.”

Sirius grins.  “Thanks, kiddo.”

“Anytime.”

i can never figure out Tumblr i mean how do u even open a task box

I m thirteen but dumb!!

We are so sammmmeee except for the zodiac I am an Aries😈

And welll I am also a part fish in a landlocked city !

I speak 4 languages🙈

I recently read "Home is wherever you are" its so cute u should write more harry and sirius

i hit a couple milestones on tumblr and ao3 in the last few days and it’s very,,,,,overwhelming lol so instead of losing my shit over that, i’ll do a lil introduction (that i’ve never done, i think 🤔)

hello! welcome to my page <3

i’m padfootastic everywhere, but i go by penny online!

i’m an adult and though i’ve not posted anything too risqué yet, there’s always the possibility i might so uh, keep that in mind pls?

this is a no terf zone. we don’t support that kind of hateful rhetoric here.

ask box + inbox are always open! i love talking, even if im a bit terrible at the actual communication bit itself, so drop by whenever u like. prompts are always welcome too 💜

my favorite characters are—no surprise, i’m sure—sirius, james, and harry! the sirius & harry dynamic is my favorite thing to write about. prongsfoot in any capacity, but especially qpp, is the love of my life <3

i’m a scorpio (so uh, heavy projection on sirius sometimes. beware)

i love oceans and beaches and lakes and swimming pools. i think i’m part-fish, actually. which makes it even more sad that i’m in a land locked city :(

i’m trilingual! english is teeeeeechnically my third language, so that often bleeds into my writing as well. ignore any weird issues & metaphors & SPaG errors pls n thx 🙈

my posts are always tag-heavy because i love adding commentary to everything!!! it’s so much fun!! adds flavor and spice!!

My Works

foundations of decay - gen. ongoing wip! set post-gof, ft. independent, smart harry taking charge of his life. sirius & harry bonding.

glimpses of us - collection of all my tumblr drabbles/oneshots. featuring harry, sirius, james, next gen kids, random OCs.

(everything on tumblr’s under ‘pen’s writing’ and ‘tumblr works’)

since a list of everything would be tedious and take too long—i deal mainly in oneshots 🙃—i’ll just link my favourites!!

a home for you (for me) - 6.2k. Gen. A nebulous universe where qpp James & Sirius coparent Harry who wants to become Harry Potter-Black.

shovel talk - 2.4k. Background Jily. Sirius gives Lily Evans a shovel talk : )

i fall to pieces (when i’m with you) - 6.5k. Prongsfoot. James makes Sirius’ blush, that’s it. The whole fic is just that.

go easy on me (i was still a child) - Gen, 13.8k. Postwar, Sirius-returns-from-the-veil and discovers already Harry has a tattoo when he tries to take him for what he believes is his godson’s first- cue feels and emotions and tears.

i won’t ever let go of you - Gen. 8.4k. Set in OoTP. Molly says the wrong thing to Sirius and protective!harry erupts. Lots of bonding and affection.

home is wherever you are - Gen. 3.5k. Set in OoTP. Sirius’ scent—cigarettes; clove and tobacco and smoke—has always reminded Harry of safety & home.

it’s always been you - Gen. Set in OoTP. Sirius finally stands up for himself when Molly accuses him of treating Harry like James.

where you go, i’m going - Gen/QPP. 3.2k. Prongsfoot!!! and tattoos!! Outsider Remus POV into the close knit bond between James & Sirius.

Sirius Black: The Godfather - Gen. 7.7k. Mostly pre-canon/canon compliant. Background Jily but mainly focusing on s&h. a series of one shots highlighting the godson-godfather bond. (the first time i delved deep into my fav duo!)

okay, i’ll stop here 😭 but! i have a lot of assorted one shots on my ao3 so check it out if any of this sounds interesting. my motto for writing is ‘read what u wanna see in the world’ hence why everything is so…self-indulgent.

thank u for being here!! i appreciate everyone who reads/interacts so much i can not put it in words :”)

exactly! Why would you hate on my poor dear !?

I’ve never personally interacted with anyone in the marauders fandom who hated Sirius. The fact that some people allegedly do is completely baffling…

If you people do exist (do you? Do you really?) can you drop into my inbox anon if you want, and explain why????

From a confused and bewildered Sirius fan

To throw up confetti! Again!

(wrote this for all the sirius + harry fans who were having rough days yesterday ((more than one??? y'all good??)). have some fluff? maybe? i don't even know anymore.)

-

"Budge over," Sirius said as he sat down on the edge of his godson's bed, Harry currently laying in it with a hooded sweatshirt pulled over his head in the dead of summer, and as far as Sirius knew, this had been the outfit of choice for a few days now.

Since Harry had come home from a date and retreated to his bedroom, some melancholic record playing loud enough to signal to Remus and Sirius that something terrible had happened.

The first night Harry had cried.

The second night Harry had shouted at the both of them.

The third night Harry had decided the silent treatment was the best course of action and he was going to stay in his bedroom no matter how many times Sirius offered to buy him anything under the sun or Remus tempted with heartbreak dessert.

"I don't want to talk, Sirius," Harry mumbled, scooting over a minuscule amount to allow his godfather to join him in bed. Sirius took the space though, moving so he could lean against Harry's headboard, one arsecheek on the bed, the other hanging half off.

"Okay, you don't have to," Sirius said, clasping his hands together and resting them on his stomach. "Thought you might like some company though."

"Why would you think that?" He asked roughly, rolling to his side to avoid eye contact or interaction.

"Because you're sad. Because I raised you and know that when you get hurt, you want someone to stay with you. Like when you fell off your bike down that hill?" Harry twisted his neck slightly so he could look at Sirius, "Went too fast...fell so hard. I don't think I've ever ran so quickly in my life to get to you."

"I was fine though...nothing was broken."

"Oh no, but your knees had some bad scrapes on them, a few bruises. I didn't know having something physically broken was the threshold for injury."

"I just mean it wasn't that bad."

"At nine it was. And the whole day you just wanted to be around one of us. Slept in our bed too."

"I'm not nine," Harry muttered, though he moved so he could mimic Sirius's position, sitting up slightly and folding his hands over his stomach, Harry's pointy elbow touching Sirius's.

"You're not, I don't even wish you were anymore, you were a little hellion."

"What? No, I wasn't."

"You used to hang upside down off the third floor, do you remember that? Climb over the railings and hook your feet in and just drop. I'm actually shocked I'm still alive after witnessing that a few times."

Harry cracked a small smile, "Well that was the fun part..."

"Mhmm, I know it was. See? Nothing but trouble," Sirius nudged Harry with this shoulder, noticing that his godson had moved closer to Sirius as he spoke, their elbows overlapping. "But...thing is, even if you had fallen off the railing, or the banister collapsed and you came with it. We'd bandage you up, figure it out, fix the railing. It gets a bit harder when the hurt isn't physical. Nothing's broken, not really, right now and yet..."

"Fucking sucks."

"Broken hearts really fucking suck," Sirius responded, nodding.

"It...just sucks to feel like he didn't want me anymore. What do I do about that?" Harry asked and looked up to Sirius, their shoulders now pressed together. Sirius took a chance, moving one of his arms off his stomach and wrapping it around Harry.

Harry didn't pull away or fidget under the touch. Not a single eye roll.

"You...sit here, and you listen to all the sad music," Sirius started, deciding to leave out the moment in time where he thought he was going to charm Harry's record player off after hearing "I Had a King" for the 30th time, "and you...let someone sit with you until it doesn't hurt so much. Scrapped knees heal, so do hearts."

"You sure?"

"Well the alternative is you being heartbroken for the rest of your life and never leaving your bedroom and I'm okay with that too," Sirius said, "I'll still hang out with you. I'll grow a long white beard sitting here with you."

Harry put his head on Sirius's chest, and Sirius's hand went to the back of Harry's head, resting on messy black hair. "I...I don't think it'll be that long. You know?"

"Yeah."

I love the good godfather sirius black thingie!!!

GGSB Fest 2024 - Perfect First Day

@goodgodfathersiriusblack

Prompt - First Day of School

Sirius isn't ready for Harry's first day of primary school, but it turns out it's perfect.

AO3

***

Despite the fact that Sirius had gotten to spend the last few years as a stay-at-home parent and knew that this time was coming, he’s still sad even as he packs Harry’s bag for his first day of school.  They had gone shopping the day before to make sure he had all of his school supplies.  He’d picked out a nice outfit for the first, and once he’s packed, it’ll be time to tuck Harry in and before he knows it – they’ll be at the school… for Harry’s first day.

“Pads?” the small voice of his godson says from the top of the stairs.  

“I’ll be up in a minute to help tuck you in, just change into your pajamas.”

“Okay!”

It only takes a few more minutes before he steels himself and goes upstairs.  Tonight was the last night before everything would begin to change.

“Ready for bed, kiddo?” Sirius asks, a smile – only slightly forced – on his face.  He has no idea what he’s going to do without his kid for hours every day.  

“Yeah!” Harry cheers.

“What kind of bedtime story are you looking for tonight?” Sirius questions.

“Will you tell me about your first day of school?” 

Sirius let's out a little laugh as he sits beside Harry’s bed.  “Well, your dad and I didn’t go to primary school – only Hogwarts, and I’ve told you about meeting your mum and dad on the train ride to school, but your mum did go to primary school.”

“Will you tell me about her first day, then?”

Sirius hums.  “Well, she always liked to say that she met her best muggle friend on the first of school.  She had sat in the wrong seat and another classmate of hers had said that it was her seat – they were arguing as much as five-year-olds can argue and it turns out her name was Lila and with your mum’s name as Lily – they were so close it was easily mistaken.  The teacher thought they should separate the girls, but they became friends instead.”

Harry’s looking at him like that wasn’t much of story – which makes sense, his own story about meeting on the train and James pulling an imaginary sword had been far more entertaining.  

“Do you think I’ll make a friend like mum did?” Harry asks, eyes wide like he’s worried about that.

Sirius smiles softly at him.  “I’m sure you will, but not if you’re grouchy from lack of sleep.  So, get some sleep – big day tomorrow.”

Harry pouts a bit before he yawns.  “Night, Pads.”

“Night, kid.”

***

In the morning, Sirius packs Harry’s lunch before helping him with his backpack and taking him by the hand to walk him to the school down the street.  His kid is happily chattering on and on about what school might be like and not at all noticing that Sirius isn’t nearly as ready for this as he pretends to be.  

He knows that this is what Lily (and James) would’ve wanted, but after so long of never being away from one another, Sirius can’t help freaking out a bit.  

He’s just not ready for this – Harry’s not ready for this – maybe … maybe it would be better to hold him back a year … or homeschool him…

But they reach the school before Sirius knows it and he’s … disappointed.

He’s not ready for this.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t matter as they enter the school and Harry happily finds his classroom rather quickly for his age.  The teacher greets Harry and says, “Mr. Potter, please go ahead and help Harry find his desk – you can stay until class starts.”

“Thank you,” Sirius says.  He doesn’t correct her.  James’ parents had practically adopted him, and he hates the Black name, so when they moved, he simply decided to go by Potter, made things easier. 

He helps Harry find his desk next to a little boy, whose name plate reads Dean Thomas, and he smiles at the mother beside him.  

“Look Dean, here’s your deskmate,” the mother says.  “Why don’t you introduce yourself?”

The little boy – Dean – smiles and introduces himself, and Harry smiles and does the same after a quick nod from Sirius.  

Then, in his excitement once Dean shows him what he’d been drawing, Harry turns to him and says, “Look, Paddy, I made a friend.”

Sirius barely stifles his laugh as he says, “You sure did.”

Before anything else could be said, the teacher calls for last goodbyes and he hugs Harry tight, like he doesn’t want to let him go, and barely contains his desire to cry.  Another parent – not Dean’s mother – says, “Don’t worry, the day will go by faster than you think.”

Sirius nods, and let's go, telling Harry to be good and learn lots before following the other parents outside the classroom.  The one that had spoken to him, introduces himself as Holly’s father, and says, “First one?”

“And only,” Sirius says.  “He’s technically my godson/nephew.  I won’t have kids of my own, but I’ve been raising him since we lost his parents.  I was a stay-at-home parent and now… well, I don’t know what to do with myself.”

Holly’s father gives him a small smile as they leave with Dean’s mother.  “Well, I’ve got a small shop that works on motor vehicles.  You know anything about that?”

Sirius grins.  “I built my motorbike from scratch.  I love motor vehicles.”

“Maybe we could go out to eat and talk about it?”

“I’d like that.”  

“Then, let’s go.”

***

Sirius could admit that he rather liked Holly’s father and Dean’s mother (who had come along as well, purely because she also expressed an interest).  Their outing had helped pass the day (which did go quickly) before they arrived to pick up their kids.  

As soon as he sees Sirius, Harry takes off at a run and straight into a waiting Sirius’ arms.  He’s already babbling about his day and his new friends Holly and Dean.  

“I made new friends, too,” Sirius teases, gesturing at Holly’s father and Dean’s mother.  The adults laugh, but Harry cheers and it’s wonderful.  

Holly’s father claps him on the shoulder and Dean’s mother smiles.  “I’ll see you both tomorrow?”

“We’ll be here.”

“Good.”

With that, they all wave goodbye and start to head home.  

Harry reiterates his entire day all happy and excited and honestly, there’s nothing better than this. 

He’s so thrilled that it’s all worked out – they’re both happy and they’re off to brighter future. 

The perfect first day of school.

Oh I just searched up Vape already exists and its for voldemort and snape

Okay so this has been my shower thought for the past couple days…what’s the Death Eater initiation process like?? And why do I keep imagining it like some kind of bad PTA meeting?

I mean surely you don’t have to go hunt down Voldy himself to ask to join, so I can only imagine it’s more of a secret club type thing. Somebody pulls you aside and super casually goes “so we get together like twice a month, usually on a Saturday but sometimes during the week, it’s whenever the Dark Lord decides really. It’s mostly at the Malfoy Manor but one time we got summoned to some random graveyard a couple years back?? Now THAT was a meeting for the ages, lemme tell ya…bloody hell. Thirteen years we don’t meet and then within the first two minutes he has the nerve to chew us all out for being disloyal or some shit like that! Crazy. ANYWAY…it really just depends, ya know, where and when we get summoned, so make sure you have your Death Eater attire ready cause Voldy really hates it when you show up in street clothes, and “it’s in the wash” isn’t a good enough excuse, believe me. It’s always potluck style for dinner, so A-M bring a side dish, N-Z bring a dessert…Severus Snape’s allergic to tomatoes so might wanna avoid those. Oh, and here’s the best part!! If you join, you get this wicked tattoo!”

Which brings me to my next thought…is Voldy an amateur tattoo artist and does the Dark Mark tattoos himself? If so, I gotta think that his drawing has gotten better over the years from the first time he tattooed one of his followers.

Voldemort: *tattooing Lucius’ arm* Alright, you’re done!

Lucius: What…is it supposed to be?

Bellatrix: It’s clearly a snake, Lucius!

Narcissa: *pointing* Yeah, but what’s that odd shaped lump above it??

Voldemort: It’s a skull!

Snape: *looking over Lucius’ shoulder, bored AF* Looks like a severed head with its tongue out to me—

Voldemort: OH FUCK OFF SEVERUS

OR…if Voldemort doesn’t give the tattoos himself, then where do they get them? Is Voldy all *claps hands* “Okay, you’re IN! Once we get done with all this paperwork of you swearing your allegiance to me, yada yada….you’re gonna go to this tattoo shop in Knockturn Alley and ask for the Dark Lord Special. Severus said my drawing was shit so I’ve decided to have someone else do the tattoos…” *side eyes Snape*

New Death Eaters showing up to the shop and the tattoo artist being all like “…Dark Lord Special, huh? I’ll throw in a Nagini tattoo around your bicep for an extra 10 galleons, whaddya say?”

GGSB Fest 2024 - A Changed Ball

@goodgodfathersiriusblack

After the first task, Sirius reaches out to Harry to offer dating advice for the Yule Ball, which changes things.

AO3

***

Given that the first task is finally over, and Harry survived, Sirius can breathe a little sigh of relief.  At least one task down, and the fact that he did so well makes Sirius incredibly proud.  Next on the order of business for Harry is probably the Yule Ball.  Since he’s a champion he’s probably going to have to open it, and it may be a bit presumptuous, but Sirius couldn’t resist offering dating advice to his godson.  He figures he’s young and he doubts the Dursleys would bother to offer much guidance.  

Hopefully, Harry doesn’t really need too much, but Sirius had to offer just in case.

Sirius smiles when he gets another owl so quickly, Harry writing to him will always make his day.

Sirius,

What do you mean there’s a ball for Yule?  What do you mean that I have to open the ball?  

No, no – they can’t really expect that from me, right?

You’re pulling my leg, right?  Please tell me you’re pulling my leg.

If not, I need help.

Say hi to Buckbeak.

Harry

Sirius is stunned for half a second.  How had Harry not known about this?  Then, again, no one appears to tell the kid anything.  

Alright, well, at least Sirius was right to offer.  He’ll just have to meet with his kid on his own and give some concrete advice.  

Everything will be okay.  He’s sure of it.

***

“I still don’t get how they could expect this of me,” Harry groans as he sits on the floor of the cave beside Sirius.  “I mean – dragons are one thing, but girls?”

Sirius laughs.  “They’re not as scary as you think.”

“They travel in packs, and they giggle like … like my mere presence is hilarious.”

“They’re giggling because one or more of them have a fancy of you – hard not to given everything, and they travel together because … well, I never really understood that.”

“What am I supposed to do?” Harry questions, seeming quite freaked out.  “You were right, McGonagall says I have to open the ball with a date, and it’s only been like a day and a half, and every girl has gone nutty and I don’t know how to dance and I don’t want to go on a date… this is – this is unfair.”

“And the whole dragon thing wasn’t unfair?”

“The dragon thing was actually kind of fun.”

Sirius snorts and rolls his eyes.  “Alright, let’s start with the basics.  First, you have to select who you’re thinking of asking.  I would suggest someone you either fancy and want to get to know – but know there will be awkwardness and you’ll have to push passed that or a friend that you could potentially enjoy an evening with.  You could perhaps go with a friend that is someone you may possibly fancy or go with a friend that is someone who would only be a friend, but you’d have to be clear about that.  Do you have any ideas?”

He watches as Harry digests this information and says, “Well, I could go with Hermione if I wanted just a friend, but I think that would upset Ron and frankly, be unfair to her.  I’d really like to go with Cho Chang – I kind of, maybe, have a fancy of her, but all I know about her is that we’re both seekers.  I suppose another friend could be like Parvati Patil or maybe Katie Bell.  I’ve talked to both enough that maybe it could be… a friend date.”

Sirius nods.  “Okay, let’s leave Hermione out of it.  We wouldn’t want to disrupt your friendship with Ron again so soon.”

“Agreed.”

“That leaves Cho, Parvati, and Katie.  Now, this is where you have to make a decision – do you want someone that you barely know, but fancy or you know, but don’t fancy?”

Harry shrugs.  “I mean – it would be nice to get to know Cho better.”

“Okay, that’s fair.  You’ll have the dinner and dancing to get to know her, if you ask her,” Sirius states.  “Now, before asking, you should make it clear that you’re not that into dancing, but if you ask any of them to go, you should expect to dance more than just the opening dance.”

He groans.  “It’s bad enough having to do it once.”

Sirius nods.  “Yes, but you’re going to a ball.  It’s expected that you dance.  If you don’t want to dance too much, you should make that clear so that they don’t expect to be dancing all night and are disappointed.”

“Okay, but what if I tell them and they say no?”

“Then you have to accept no for an answer and find someone else who would be willing to support you.”

Harry nods.  “I suppose that I should try and learn dancing then?”

“That would be a good endeavor.  I’d suggest asking someone you’re comfortable with to practice or your date would be better, but it could be embarrassing admitting that, so you could always Hermione or one of the quidditch girls who would no doubt love to help you.”

“That sounds like a good plan,” Harry states.  “What about the actual asking?  If they’re traveling in packs…”

Sirius laughs.  “They may giggle, but simply ask for a moment alone and once you’re alone, tell them either – that you’d like a romantic date to the ball or a friend date to the ball – depending on who you ask.  Explain about the dancing to help them make a decision, and once they do – if it’s yes, ask them to meet up to practice dancing or if it’s no, accept their answers and move on.  Just be sweet and polite and you’ll be okay.”

“That sounds easier than it’s probably going to be.”

“It’s usually not that bad, I promise.  Maybe a little embarrassing, but the sooner you do it, the better,” Sirius assures him.  “Then you can focus on the actual date.”

Harry grimaces.  “Besides dancing, what would be expected?”

“Well, you should meet her at her common room probably with a nice flower – try asking her favorite or finding one that matches her dress robes.”  

Harry nods.  “Sounds easy.”

“You should offer your arm, and smile as you lead the way into the ball and take out her seat first before you sit.  At dinner, make sure you talk to her about her interests.  Start with something you have in common and let the conversation flow.  If it stalls, try to ask about things that are around you – the food, the music, the dancing, the people… anything that can spark something.  Remind her about being uncomfortable with too much dancing, but that you’ll make an effort.”

“Okay, okay.  Seems like genuinely good advice so far,” Harry says.  “Then, of course, the dancing.  I suppose if we practice before it might not be so bad.”

“I’m sure it won’t be as bad as you’re imagining,” Sirius assures him.  “Make sure to still pay attention to her as you dance, and if need be, make light conversation.  If you’re done dancing or taking a break, try finding a quiet area to continue chatting from dinner.  Don’t ignore her and even if it ends up being Parvati or Katie rather than who you fancy, remember that you can’t just glare at your fancy’s date – just focus on your own date.”

“Yeah, that – that wouldn’t be fair to her if I was staring at some other girl.”

“Exactly.  The focus should be on making sure that you’re both having a good time.”

“Okay.  Okay.  What about at the end?”

“Walk her back to her dorm, tell her you had a great time – if you fancy her (and this could go for if the date started as a friend, but you find you do like her) – then ask her to have another date.  This could be something simple and we can talk about that when the time comes in a letter.  Just maybe vaguely ask if she’d like to go out again.  If she says yes, tell her that you’ll let her know a time and place, if she says no – respect it and thank her for being your date and that you hope she enjoyed it.”

“And… then leave?”

Sirius tries not to laugh.  “Well, she might expect a kiss on the hand, the cheek or even the lips.  It all depends on the vibe, just go with your instincts on that one.”

Harry swallows, but nods.  “I guess.”

“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” Sirius attempts to assure him.  “Just take it one step at a time.  You’ll be fine.”

“If you’re sure…”

“I am, I promise.”

***

A few weeks later, Sirius knows that Harry’s managed to ask Cho to the ball.  He’s nervous, but he’s been preparing for the ball, and Sirius has assured him that it should be just fine.  He just needs to relax and not worry so much.  

He also told him to write to him afterwards no matter the outcome.  He wants to know how well his advice went over.

He grins when the owl arrives.

Sirius,

Thank you – thank you – thank you!  Your advice was perfect.  

Cho and I had a great date.  We practically danced the night away!  Okay, maybe not.  She was okay with only dancing half the time, but we went for a walk and – and it went so great that she kissed me before the end of the night!  

There was plenty of kissing before a final dance and walking her back to the dorm.  It went so well she said yes to a second date.  

So, now, I need advice on that.  Got any ideas?

Thanks again,

Harry

Sirius grins, happy for his kid.  He’s happy to offer more dating advice as long as his kid needs it.  

He’ll certainly be a ladies’ man after this.

Just like his father and godfather and it’s great.