Lessons
The next day was stressful. Whispers followed Harry and Sirius from the second they left the dormitory. Fred and George kept on either side of them on the way to breakfast. Just before leaving they made sure Ron was going to watch out for him in class. Even then they insisted on walking them to their first class.
The classes themselves were hard for Sirius. Seeing the changes- or lack there of- in his old teachers was bizarre. Not to mention all the memories coming back to him.
He and James sending feathers and things flying at the Slytherins in Charms while Flitwick wasn't looking. Getting Remus to help him with last minute homework while Binns droned on about goblin wars. Trying (and failing) to keep under McGonagall's radar during class while passing notes. Keeping Peter from accidentally killing whatever plant Sprout had them working on. The only teacher Harry had had so far that Sirius hadn't was Professor Quirrell. Sirius wasn't sure about him. Something was definitely off.
Still, all through Harry's classes Sirius caught himself turning to say something to one of his old friends only to remember they weren't there. He was a dog. And that was going to be how it stayed until he could think of a way to clear his name.
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Friday brought an unexpected surprise with the mail. Harry's owl, Hedwig, flew in with and dropped a note on Harry's plate. Sirius couldn't read it, which was frustrating, but George noticed it and asked who it was from.
Harry smiled a little at him and handed him the note. Fred could've read it over his shoulder, but Ron got him to read it out loud.
"'Dear Harry,'" George read, "'I know you've got Friday afternoons off, so would you and Shadow like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three? I want to hear all about your first week. Send an answer back with Hedwig, Hagrid.' That's nice of him. Do you want to go?"
Harry nodded. Fred handed him a quill.
"Do you want us to come along?" Ron asked hesitantly.
Harry froze for a second. "I-If you w-want to." he whispered.
"George and I can't." Fred sighed, "Unlike you lucky little firsties,"
"We've still got class." George finished.
Harry nodded. He started to write a reply then looked up suddenly and pointed to the Slytherin table.
"You want Mal- er- Draco to go with you?" Fred guessed.
Harry nodded again.
"Have you seen him since the sorting?" George asked.
He shook his head, looking a little upset.
"Wait, you're friends with a Slytherin?" Ron said incredulously.
Harry frowned before nodding.
Ron still looked shocked.
Fred flicked a piece of toast at him.
"You've got double Potions with the Slytherins this morning." George reminded him.
"If you still want to be friends,"
"Then ask him in class."
Harry smiled at them and finished his reply to Hagrid.
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When they got to the Potions classroom Harry immediately started looking for Draco. Draco looked relieved when he saw them and motioned to the empty seat next to him. Harry rushed over and sat down, glancing back at Ron expectantly. He sighed before going over to take the seat on Harry's other side.
"You didn't tell me your Slytherin friend was a Malfoy." Ron said scowling.
Harry paled.
"Deal with it Weasley, I was here first." Draco sneered.
Sirius growled softly to quiet them. Harry was shaking slightly, afraid that he was going to lose one of his friends.
Draco glared at Ron before turning to Harry, "Don't worry, Harry. I said I'd tolerate your other friends, and I will. For your sake."
Ron snorted.
Draco sniffed and ignored him. "Do you want to do something during our free period?"
Harry brightened. "Do you want to come meet Hagrid with us." It was a little hard to hear him since everyone else was talking while they waited for the teacher.
He hesitated. "Umm, sure."
Harry grinned.
When the teacher swept into the class Sirius couldn't help but think that it was a good thing he was a dog right now. It he wasn't he'd either be laughing or his jaw would be on the floor.
Snivellus Snape was the Potions teacher. He couldn't believe it. It wasn't that long ago, in this very room, that James and he had bullied Snape. They'd even sabotaged his potions a couple times (always in revenge and never in a way that would hurt someone, naturally). Sirius actually felt kind of bad for everything they'd done to him. For a minute that is. After that Snape's little speech was over and he started picking on Harry.
"Potter!" Snape snapped. Harry froze. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
Across the room Hermione Granger's hand shot into the air. Harry had read all his schoolbooks before getting on the train, but getting called on in front of the class was one of his nightmares.
Harry shook his head slightly, pale and clutching at Sirius's fur.
Snape sneered at him. "Fame clearly isn't everything."
He ignored Hermione's hand.
"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"
Harry was shaking now, tears in his eyes.
"Sir-" Draco started.
"I believe I asked Potter." Snape arched an eyebrow at him. "Still don't know?"
Harry was biting his lip so hard it was starting to bleed slightly. Sirius barked. Harry was starting to breakdown and Snape needed to shut up.
Snape ignored Sirius's bark, the blood on Harry's lip, and Hermione's still raised hand.
"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?"
Any shred of guilt Sirius had had was gone. He barked again, louder and started nuzzling Harry's hand in an attempt to comfort him as tears started to fall.
"Control your animal, Potter." Snape said.
"Sir-" Draco tried again. Ron put his arm around Harry.
When Sirius barked for the third time, Snape reached out to grab his collar and pull him away. Sirius whipped around and bit him.
Snape looked like he was going to explode.
"He needs to go calm down." Ron said, "Sir."
"Get out and I don't want that dog in here again." Snape growled.
Draco and Ron helped Harry out of the classroom. The second the door was closed Harry sank to the floor and started sobbing. Sirius stepped closer so Harry could put his arms around him. It took about twenty minutes before Harry stopped crying and another ten before Ron and Draco could convince him to go back into class.
"I can't go in without Shadow," he insisted, "I need him."
"There's only an hour left of Potions." Ron told him. "We can go talk to McGonagall about it before we go meet Hagrid."
"We can stand in for Shadow for the last bit of class." Draco chimed in.
Reluctantly, Harry told Sirius to stay and went back inside with Draco and Ron.
Sirius was furious. He knew Snape was taking out his hatred of James on Harry. How dare he? Harry was eleven and Snape decided that it was okay to torment him? And to think that for a moment, however brief, Sirius had wanted to apologize for what he and the other Marauders had done to him! Snape didn't have any excuse for taking out his anger on a child. Sirius knew that Lily had convinced James to make up with Snape, he just hadn't had the chance before going into hiding. He was pretty sure that if Remus hadn't apologized by now then he at least wanted to. They had grown up! But it looked like Snape hadn't.
When the class finally got out Sirius ran to Harry's side. The boy scratched his ears looking relieved to have him back as he slipped Sirius's leash around his wrist. Sirius sniffed him searching for any sort of injury.
"I'm alright Shadow." Harry whispered. "It's okay now."
Draco promised to meet them by the Transfiguration room during their break so they could all go to Hagrid's together. Sirius kept a close eye on Harry through the remaining classes. He was much quieter.
At lunch he didn't even try to talk to the twins. Ron, however, was eager to tell them all about the disastrous Potions class. They actually encouraged Harry and Ron to talk to McGonagall as soon as possible. Then they started planning the best way to get revenge on Snape. Sirius really wanted to give them some advice. Still, some of the stuff they were coming up with was very good. Sirius silently declared them honorary Marauders.
When it was finally time for their break, Ron and Harry went up to talk to McGonagall. Harry was clearly nervous.
Sirius thought it was a small miracle they caught McGonagall before her next class started. She ushered them into her office.
"Now, what is it you need to tell me?"
Ron told her about the Potions class and Snape banning Sirius from his classroom. "He can't do that though right? Harry needs Shadow and it wasn't really his fault he bit Professor Snape. He was trying to warn him first. You can get him to let Shadow back in can't you Professor?"
McGonagall sighed. "Professor Snape is not a student. The most I can do is talk to him and the Headmaster. I can't promise anything," she looked down at Sirius, "Especially since Shadow bit him."
Harry's hand tightened in Sirius's fur. "Sh-Shadow was only t-trying to help m-me." he swallowed, "Please. I n-need h-him."
"I'll see what I can do."