And here we go, folks, the last chapter of You Raise Me Up! Thank you so much to everyone who has been reading the story and putting up with my meandering updates. And HUGE thank you's to everyone who has sent me reviews, both public and personal; I really appreciate them a lot.

I do plan on continuing the story at some point, though I may take a short break to work on some other things the muse and I are interested in doing.

DISCLAIMER: Any characters you recognize are the property of JK Rowling, and the song lyrics are from "You Raise Me Up" by the incomparable Josh Groban.

Part 10

In a car on the Hogwart's Express, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, Neville, Luna, and Ginny were joined by Sirius, though how they all fit was a miracle of magic considering the size of the space. The journey home had finally begun and everyone was both excited to be starting their summer break and dreading the loss of daily contact with their friends.

Sirius was finally explaining to Harry why so many of the Slytherins had stood and applauded him at the final feast, "Some of the Death Eaters served because they had no choice in the matter and a few had even been trying to find a way out. You provided them with that when you killed Voldie off. Several of the DEs had been starting to pressure their children into becoming servants as well, something most of the kids didn't want to do."

"You mean Malfoy and his goons didn't want to follow in their father's footsteps?" Ron asked in disbelief.

"That's exactly what I mean, Ron. As Head of the Black Family, Draco's mother Narcissa had contacted me, asking if there was some way I could help her keep him safe from his father. Cissy's really not a bad person, despite being the sister of Bellatrix, and she didn't want to see Draco sacrificed on the whims of an inhuman monster. While at school, Draco came to me as well and said his mother told him I could be trusted. He was terrified at the thought of becoming a pawn to Voldemort, so when you killed him off, Harry, you actually set the boy free."

The dark haired teen thought about it for a moment before responding, "I can understand his fears. If he followed his father, Voldemort may have killed him out of spite for something his dad did wrong. But if he outright refused to join, he would have been putting a huge target on his back for any of the DEs to come kill him."

"That's right, so your timing was impeccable as far as many of those children were concerned. Rumor had it that Voldemort was going to demand that his faithful followers bring him their children this summer to begin their initiation into the ranks of the Death Eaters. You put a stop to that."

Neville grinned at his friend, "So, Harry, does this mean that you're going to have a peaceful summer and be able to finish out your schooling without someone trying to kill you off or use you in some way for their own gain?"

Before the boy could answer, Sirius narrowed his eyes, "Unfortunately, no."

Everyone in the car stared at him in stunned silence before Hermione demanded, "Why not?!"

Leaning back against the seat, the man dropped one arm around the teenager's shoulders, "There's still reporters looking to get hold of Harry to get an inside story, and of course Minister Fudge is wanting to use him as a political prop to get himself out of hot water. A lot of Voldie's followers had been caught before and claimed they were innocent or under the Imperius Curse. This time, they were caught red-handed and Fudge is looking like an idiot for having let them go free last time. Especially Malfoy; he was the one who kept Fudge in office as long as he did." He looked down at the child, frustration in his eyes, "And we think that not all of the Death Eaters were there, so there may be a couple still lurking about wanting revenge."

Banging his head backwards against the muscled shoulder of his godfather, Harry was grumbling, "Great, there goes my hopes for a couple of months of fun and relaxation."

The canine animagus chuckled, "Don't worry, pup, you'll still get to have fun and relax. We'll make sure of it."

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The train pulled into the station and the group waited until most everyone had disembarked before gathering their things and heading for the exits. The moment Harry appeared to step off the train, everyone still on the platform began to clap and cheer. Flashbulbs started going off as reporters tried to push their way through the crowd to reach the boy who lived, only to find their way impeded by a magical barrier. Aurors stationed around the perimeter exchanged smiles as their efforts to thwart the press paid off and the rabid reporters were forced to stay on the outside of the families gathered.

Sirius nodded to several aurors he knew in thanks for their presence and timely intervention as he herded the children off the train and into the loving arms of their families. Harry was enveloped by Mrs. Weasley in a tight hug even as her husband shook his hand in gratitude; he was finally saved by the twins who pointed out that even if Harry had saved the world, they were still related by blood and deserved to have a hug as well.

"Po…er…Harry."

The boy turned to find his nemesis of four years standing close by with his a slender, petite woman who shared many of the same facial features and build of her son. The young man stepped forward, eyes alight and hopeful, as he slowly extended his right hand, "Draco Malfoy, Slytherin House, soon to be fifth year. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Silence reigned around them as everyone held their breath to see what the boy who lived would do. Moving forward, the hand was taken in a firm grip, "Harry Potter, Gryffindor House, also going into fifth year. Good to meet you as well, Draco; hopefully we can put aside any differences and rivalries between the Houses and become friends."

Malfoy brought his left hand up to cover Harry's hand completely, "I sincerely hope so, Harry, I'd like that very much." He let go and turned slightly to bring forth the woman with him, "This is my mother, Narcissa Malfoy."

Unsure of protocol in a situation like this, Harry nearly panicked until he caught the blond boy mouthing 'bow' to him. Giving Draco a small grateful nod, Harry bowed formally to the beautiful woman, "A pleasure, Mrs. Malfoy."

She gave him a gracious nod and, as he straightened up, reached out to gently cup his chin in one delicate hand, "Though I am not, you may call me Aunt Cissy if you wish." At Harry's surprised look she smiled, "You are the godson of my cousin Sirius, who is also the Head of the Black Family. Besides, all of the pure-blooded families are related in some way to one another, and the Potter name is very old indeed."

Harry nodding in understanding, "Thank you, Aunt Cissy." He had only the slightest hesitation in saying the name, but figured it would get easier in time to call her that.

Sirius approached his cousin and embraced her gently, "Hello, Cissy, it's good to see you."

She returned the hug, "And you, cousin. I hope you and Harry will visit this summer so the boys have a chance to develop a friendship."

"Of course, we'd be delighted."

Narcissa placed a hand lightly on her son's shoulder, "Are you ready to go home, Draco?" When he nodded and said a quick farewell to his schoolmates, his mother led him to the apparation point and they left.

"Well, that was bizarre," Ron piped up.

"Ronald!" Came the scolding tone from both his mother and Hermione.

The red head shrugged and slapped his best mate on the back, "Keep in touch, Istar; we'll make some plans to get together sometime this summer."

"I will, Carad, you enjoy de-gnoming the garden when you get home," Harry replied teasingly before turning to their female cohort, "Have a good vacation, Feather, and we'll see you later this summer."

Hermione hugged both of her friends and said goodbye before hurrying off with her parents. The Weasley family exchanged hugs with Harry and Sirius again before taking their leave as well. Drawing his godson away from the rapidly thinning crowd on the platform, Sirius and Harry went through the barrier and into the main train station. The boy was a bit mystified by where they were going, until they reached the parking garage and he saw the motorcycle.

"Brilliant!"

Sirius laughed at his response, "I thought you might like a chance to ride on it with me, so I asked Remus to get it here for us to ride home."

The tall man handed Harry a helmet and showed him where to sit on the big bike before putting on his own cover and swinging one long leg over the seat. The monster started with a deafening roar and Sirius revved it a couple of times when he felt Harry bouncing behind him in eagerness. With a carefree laugh, Sirius took off, the teenager holding tightly to him as they pulled out of the garage and onto the street.

They made for the open road and as soon as he could, Sirius pulled onto a dirt road and flipped several switches. The first rendered them invisible to muggles, the second silenced the sound of the motorcycle, and the third sent them hurdling into the sky. Harry, unable to resist, stood up once they were in the air and stabilized, stretching out his arms and whooping to the heavens for pure joy. They hit an air pocket and he was forced to grab Sirius by the helmet to keep his balance, but the boy was too excited to drop back to the seat just yet. His godfather cast a silent sticking spell to his feet so he didn't fall off on accident while he was enjoying himself.

After a while, Harry plopped back down on the seat and leaned forward against the tall man, "This is totally brilliant, Sirius! Can I learn how to fly this sometime?"

His godfather chuckled, "When you're old enough, Harry, I promise that you'll get the chance to learn how." His reward was an enthusiastic hug from behind.

They made their decent rapidly into the yard surrounding Paddy's Place and Sirius reactivated the motorcycle's roar to warn anyone in the house that they were there so there were no surprises. As he shut everything down, the door opened and Severus came out to greet them. Harry was grinning from ear to ear over the ride and as he climbed off the monster bike, his legs didn't want to cooperate properly, causing him to stumble a bit.

Fortunately, Sev was there to lend a helping hand until he regained his balance from the ride, "Thanks, Professor, guess I wasn't quite ready to get off."

The canine animagus laughed, "You'll get used to the sensation after a few rides, pup. Then you won't try to pitch over on your nose every time you're done." Giving truth to his statement, Sirius swung his leg easily and gracefully over the seat and straightened. Reaching over to Harry, he tugged the helmet off and placed it, along with his own, in one of the enchanted saddlebags before turning to Snape, "You planning on staying this holiday, Sev?"

"Indeed, someone responsible needs to be here in case of emergencies."

Sirius cocked his head, swinging his shoulder length black hair to one side, "I thought Remus was the responsible one."

One black brow arched as the potion master curled his lip slightly, "And who do you plan on having in charge when Moony is in control?"

"Harry," Black teased with a smirk.

"At least he is more dependable than you, Padfoot."

The boy backpedaled quickly out of the way as things rapidly dissolved from there and a hexing war broke out between the two men. By the time Remus arrived via floo from Hogwarts, they were both rather spectacularly colored in a variety of hues and sporting new limbs.

The werewolf sighed and muttered, "And everyone thought the teenaged Marauders were bad." Pulling his wand, he approached his friends as he beckoned the watching boy over, "Come here, Harry, and let me teach you a new and very important spell." The child joined him and watched the wand movement closely as Remus stated, "Finite Incantatum." Both men were instantly returned to normal. Resting one hand on Harry's shoulder he continued with his short lecture, "This is a particularly handy spell for hexing wars, prank wars, Sirius accidents, Severus issues, and many other problems that may arise over the next few years."

Sirius and Severus turned their combined wand power on Remus as Harry, laughing gleefully, bolted away from the ensuing mayhem.

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The night, their first home from school, Harry bid the three men good night and went up to his room to get ready for bed. It was hard to believe that he was going to be fifteen this summer; hanging out with his new family brought out the child in him and having defeated Voldemort took away the constant threat hovering over his life. For the first time he could ever remember, Harry didn't have to worry about his Aunt Petunia trying to hurt him, his cousin Dudley going Harry Hunting, or some evil dark lord coming for him and his friends. He could have a summer free of hate and fear, something to look forward to, and the promise of good things to come.

And it was all because of Sirius.

His godfather had rescued him, taken him in, and offered unconditional love and support in all aspects of his life. What more could he possibly want? He paused in his study room to grab a piece of parchment and sat down to write. He had so many different emotions flooding through him, and he didn't know how to express them properly. He'd never had someone to take care of him the way Sirius did. He let his mind wander as he wrote down how he felt as if speaking directly to the man, and found his thoughts wandering to a song he'd once heard, so he wrote that down as well. When he was done, he folded it and set it aside, thinking that maybe he would give it to Sirius someday.

Grabbing pajamas on his way to the shower, Harry hoped Sirius would come up to tell him good night. After he was done in the bathroom, he came out to find his bed already turned down, the lights dimmed, and his beloved godfather waiting patiently for him.

Harry tossed his dirty clothes in a hamper and hurried over to climb into the big bed, lying on his side to face the man. Once he was settled, Sirius drew a light blanket up to cover him, patting it gently into place with a soft, "There you go, pup."

The black haired man seated himself on the bed beside the child and indulged himself in tenderly carding his long fingers through the messy mane resting on the fluffy pillows. Harry could feel his eyes beginning to grow heavy from the soothing touch and he smiled warmly, "Thank you, Siri."

"For what, puppy mine?"

"For being you, for being here, for everything. I love you," he barely whispered as sleep claimed him.

"I love you, too, Harry, with all my heart."

He sat and watched the boy sleep for a few minutes before rising and making his way out of the bedroom and into the study. Sirius noticed a piece of parchment lying on the table and, curious, picked it up. As he read, he felt his knees grow shaky with emotion and he dropped to sit in a chair.

Dear Sirius,

I don't know when or if I will ever give this letter to you, but for some reason tonight, I just felt that I had to write some things down. I've never had someone in my life to love me the way you do, or that I could love in return. You are my hero, my savior, my best friend, and in many ways, the only father I remember.

You took me out of a terrible situation and brought me to live with you without hesitation or worry for how it would affect your own life. You treat me as if I am your own child, your own son, even though I'm not. You set boundaries for me, discipline me when needed, teach me, guide me, are there for me, and most of all, you love me. But more important to me is the fact that you aren't afraid to show that love. Whether it's ruffling my hair, patting my shoulder, giving me a hug, or tucking me into bed, you don't care what others think about you.

I know that most kids my age don't want to be cuddled by a parent or hugged when they're upset or be put to bed, but I never had those things, and I love it when you do those things for me. I heard this song some time ago, and it keeps running through my head as I write this, so I'm going to put it on here as well.

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;

When troubles come and my heart burdened be;

Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,

Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;

You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;

I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;

You raise me up, to more than I can be.

And you really do raise me up, Sirius, to be more than I can be. I think that it's due in large part to your love that I was able to defeat Voldemort. I don't know that I can ever tell you or show you so that you could truly understand just how much you mean to me and how much I love you.

Sirius. My friend, my godfather, my father.

I love you.

Sirius slowly replaced the parchment from where he'd gotten it off the table and rose to reenter the bedroom. He dropped to his knees beside the sleeping child and tenderly stroked back the black hair from his forehead, revealing a slowly fading lighting bolt shaped scar. Leaning forward, he pressed a soft kiss to the boy's head, "I love you, Harry, my friend, my godson, my son. And I will always be here to raise you up, because you raise me up as well."

Pushing himself to his feet, he returned to the doorway, pausing briefly to look back, "Good night, puppy mine, sleep tight, and I'll be here when you wake." He slipped out the door, leaving it cracked slightly, as Harry Potter rolled over in his sleep, smiling contentedly to drift away more deeply into peaceful dreams.