A.N.: Hello everyone, this is the beginning of a Harry/Padfoot/Moony story I am very excited about and have a lot of plans for. I'm currently planning it to be a 2 part series and even with work and my busy-ness I am trying to write far ahead so it won't meet the same fate as my last story. If you could all read and review I would very much appreciate it and I hope that you enjoy/
Chapter One: Frogs and Potions
"POTTTTTTER!" Vernon Dursley cried as his young nephew sat cowering in his cupboard under the stairs. "POTTER YOU GET OUT HERE THIS INSTANT." Harry was afraid. At four years old, he had lived with his aunt and uncle long enough to know what that tone meant. He hadn't meant to do it. He just wanted a little more to eat and Dudley had had all of that food on his plate. All of a sudden, the food on Dudley's plate had turned into frogs and hopped their way over to Harry's plate and then turned back. Harry sat back, the subject of many astonished faces before he saw the color on his uncle's face slowly begin to rise from pink to dark purple. The vein in his neck was throbbing and Harry knew exactly what that meant: he had to run, and as fast as possible. He had quickly shut himself in his cupboard but he knew it wouldn't last for very long. Vernon, not waiting for Harry to open the door, quickly jimmied it open and pulled him out by his shaggy mess of black hair. His glasses were thrown to safety (there was no way Vernon Dursley would pay for another pair) and Harry was thrown to the floor.
"YOU ARE A FREAK BOY, JUST LIKE YOUR GOOD FOR NOTHING PARENTS BUT NOT IN MY HOUSE! NO SIR. I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS IN MY HOUSE!" Vernon Dursley was the type of man who believed a beating would cure any personality defects. With very little brain himself, his physical exertions were used instead of any reason or thought. This was by no means the first time he tested his theory out on his young nephew, nor, did he think, it would be the last. Between the beatings from his cousin and the "punishments" from his uncle, Harry never looked well enough to go to preschool, nor was his uncle looking to add the extra expense. In short, there was no one looking to keep Harry Potter safe.
After about 20 minutes of "punishment", Harry lay in a heap on the floor, his chest rising in shallow movements. Vernon had his wife, the sister of Harry's mother, carry him into the broom cupboard. Petunia Dursley had by no means ever hit Harry. On the other hand, she had also never done anything to stop it. Not once had she said a word against her husband and that made her just as dangerous to Harry.
The little boy was keeping his composure as well as he could as he knew another beating would come if he cried. There were many rules Harry had to follow while living at the Dursley's. He was never allowed to ask questions, never cry, never have any accidents, and on the very top of the list was that he was never ever, ever supposed to be a freak. He didn't know what that meant exactly, just that his uncle hated it more than the questions. Harry wasn't too sure how he could keep from being something when he had no idea what it meant but asking would just break another rule and so he figured that staying quiet and hiding was the best possible solution. As his family left him in his cupboard, he slowly lost all of the composure he had forced and cried himself to a very fast and dizzy sleep.
…
On an island very far away, a man named Sirius Black was slowly following an Auror out of his cell. He had no idea what for, but he was terrified. He had seen many wizards leave in this fashion and never return. The Dementor's Kiss was their fate, and with every step he was becoming more and more sure that it would be his as well. On some level, however, he didn't mind. Every moment of every day and night was spent torturing himself worse than a dementor could ever dream. Seeing his best friend's body laying crumpled on the stairs and having to move him from the spot haunted his every nightmare. His best friend's wife, the closest thing to a sister he had ever known, was heaped in front of his godson's crib. The light in her eyes was dulled so heavily that it chilled him to the bone. His godson, the perfect little baby he was, was scarred and having a fit, crying out for the mum and dad that were supposed to be there to comfort him. Sirius had cradled him in his own arms, carefully taking him from the house so he wouldn't see the bodies of broken parents. Harry had snuggled up to his familiar scent and burrowed into his chest. Hagrid had then met him outside and forced Sirius to give up the baby for Dumbledore. After all, Dumbledore knew best. It had been almost 3 years since that day but the nightmares only got worse and worse. It would be quite a relief to have them stop for good.
Sirius resigned himself to the fate of the dementors when suddenly the Auror led him down a hall that he remembered from years ago. That was odd. The dementors didn't administer the kiss right in the middle of processing. All of a sudden, the Auror turned to Black and smiled playfully, Sirius recognizing him at once. "Kingsley, my friend, please. If I'm going to be kissed I'd like to be taken to dinner first."
Kingsley roared with laughter at Black's ability to find humor with the absolute worst timing. This was a first. But Kingsley slowly shook his head and once they got past the wards, gripped Sirius's arm and apparated them from the prison.
…
Sirius looked around to a room he had never been in before, as he hadn't been allowed a trial. The case was too cut and dry for the ministry and they needed to look as though they were making a difference to clean the world of death eater scum. They had looked at Sirius like scum. In a chair similar to his (one that had chains coming out from all angles) sat a little, round man. His teeth were rat-like and he was missing a finger. Sirius started to pull against his chains so he could strangle the little man. Then his sentenced would be deserved and maybe the nightmares would stop if he could get revenge for James and Lily. That wasn't true. He really just hoped that it would make himself feel better. The guilt of letting that slimy Peter Pettigrew the secret-keeper for his best friend when James and Lily would have stayed perfectly safe if he had just accepted the position is what caused most of his nightmares.
"Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew has been captured and given Veritaserum. Do you also agree to subject yourself to its workings so the court has a better idea of the night that James and Lily Potter were murdered by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"
"I do consent"
"Very well. Mr. Black, I would like you to state for the record your relationship to James and Lily Potter"
"I met James on the train to Hogwarts. Eventually I moved in with him and his family due to unsuitable living conditions at my mother and father's house" Sirius was being quite generous with that statement. "On the night that Lily gave birth to Harry, I was named his Godfather and guardian if anything was to happen to the pair of them. They were closer to me than any brother and sister could have been."
"Were you the secret keeper for the Potter family?"
"No. We told all the necessary people that I was but I decided to change the plan at the last minute. Peter Pettigrew was secret keeper because I thought the Death Eaters were less likely to go after him. Little did I know that he had already been recruited."
"Peter Pettigrew, were you secret keeper for James and Lily Potter?"
"Yes. The moment I was given the location of the house I brought it to my Lord so he would be able to fulfill the Prophecy. The Potter boy must be killed for the Dark Lord to rise again."
"Wizengamot, I would like to put it to a vote. Please raise your hands if you believe that Sirius Black should remain incarcerated for Death Eater activity?"
A few hands were raised but not nearly a majority. Sirius became hopeful for the first time in almost 3 years. "Those of you who believe that Peter Pettigrew should receive the Dementor's Kiss and Sirius Black to be cleared of charges please raise your hands," the head of the Wizengamot said clearly to the full room. Hand after hand was raised and with each one Sirius felt his stomach tug more and more towards freedom.
"Majority rules. Sirius Black, you are cleared of all charges and are to be released immediately. You will be provided with a 12,000 galleon stipend for every year you were wrongly incarcerated as well as a public apology. Now, as you are Harry Potter's legal guardian the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is currently drawing the papers for you to legally adopt one by the name of Harry Potter who currently resides with the Dursley family of number 12 Privet Drive in Surrey. You will be escorted tonight to collect your godson so please prepare a place for him to sleep in the meantime. You will be called upon at exactly 7:00 this evening so we ask that you are ready. Welcome back to the World, Mr. Black."
At the mention of the Dursley's Sirius Black went still. Lily's sister and her husband? He had met Petunia when they were all kids and then Vernon at the Potter-Evans wedding. Both days were a sour spot in his memory. Vernon was a bully and Petunia a coward who bent into his every wish. He knew with every fiber of his being that his godson would not last long with these people and he was very thankful that he would be able to retrieve him that very night, although he had to quickly come up with a place for them to stay. Number 12 Grimmauld Place was out, there was no way a toddler would be able to stay there. However, Sirius did remember a couple of quite nice country houses that were rarely used. He would have to make a decision quickly, though. His eyes scanned the room looking for any familiar face. He saw Professor Dumbledore running off after the Chief of the Wizengamot. Then, with his breath stopping for quite a long minute, Sirius locked eyes with the one person he was hoping for the most. Remus Lupin looked almost as worse for wear as Sirius. He looked scraggly and unkempt with visible in his shirt and pants. But all Sirius could really look at were his eyes, the honey colored pools swimming with tears making them shine brighter than gold. His Moony was crying. Sirius, having been released from his chains, slowly made his way over to Remus. The tears were starting to fall from his own eyes while he started the seemingly endless walk to the only friend he had left in the world.
The two men embraced and took a very long time to let go of one another. Remus grabbed at Sirius's thin prison garb for dear life, terrified that his best friend would be taken from him again. Slowly he began whispering his apology, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Sirius. I should have done more. I should have ensured a trial. I was so mad. I didn't think. I just wanted to believe so bad that it was you so that I could make my peace with it and let it go but it never happened. I promise with everything I have that I will not let you down again. I swear it"
Sirius hugged Lupin tighter to his chest for reassurance, "I would have believed the same Moony. I did believe the same of you back then. This war hurt us all, but I'm coming home now." With that, Moony and Padfoot made their way to get Sirius a warm meal, some clothes, and a place to raise his godson.