Dysfunctional

3 - The Headmaster's Office

Harry's feet hit solid ground; his knees buckled a little and Sirius quickly helped Harry to the chair as he took the other one, "How are you feeling?"

Harry simply nodded, unable to talk. His entire body felt heavy and every movement in his muscle and joints ached. To make matters worse, he had a throbbing headache.

Harry suddenly remembered. "Sirius-the Ministry, they saw you..."

Sirius patted him on the knee. "Don't worry about it. Dumbledore has got it under control at the moment."

Even as he said it, Sirius couldn't help but feel panic bubbling inside him. Would he be going to Azkaban again? Just when he had nearly lost his godson, would he be forced to lose him again too?

Harry blurted, "This is my fault. If I hadn't been stupid enough to believe that vision-"

Sirius said softly, "Harry, stop blaming yourself; you didn't know. As far as I'm concerned, it's Dumbledore's fault he never mentioned it to you that there was ever a possibility of Voldemort trying to manipulate you."

One of the sleeping portraits gave a huff and Sirius' eyes darted around him trying to catch the perpetrator.

"But that's why he made me learn Occlumency! I didn't make an effort to learn and with Snape teaching me-"

Harry trailed off miserably as he stared out the window where a cool line of pale green along the horizon was visible: dawn was approaching.

"What is your mistake though-" Sirius said slowly, watching Harry carefully. "-was you going after Bellatrix. You didn't possibly think you were going to defeat her, did you?"

Harry exhaled slowly as he hung his head. After a moment, Harry spoke, "I couldn't stand her, running around freely, when you have to hide and then what she did to-"

His eyes widened as he remembered earlier, when Bellatrix had thrown a hex at Sirius. "What did she do to you?"

"Bone-Breaking Hex. Kingsley healed it, I guess." Sirius absently rubbed his right side as he stood up and walked towards the window.

"You should go to the Hospital Wing..." Harry had jumped out of his seat, walked towards the door and turned the doorknob. Only it wouldn't turn.

A few of the portraits stirred and Sirius looked around him mildly amused.

"I hope this means," said the corpulent, red-nosed wizard who hung on the wall behind the Headmaster's desk, "that Dumbledore will soon be back among us?"

Harry turned to watch the wizard surveying him with interest, but it was Sirius who answered, "Yes."

"Oh good," said the wizard. "It has been very dull without him, very dull indeed."

Sirius scoffed. "You're a portrait! No doubt your life is dull!"

"If that isn't my insolent great-great-grandson?" came the cool voice of Phineas Nigellus.

Sirius rolled his eyes, looking for all the world like an immature teenager. "I'm not talking to you, Phineas." Clearly, there was some bad blood there, Harry thought to himself.