This is something a little different for me. I would absolutely love any reviews- any comments you may have to help me improve my writing. Thank you.

Reassurances

"Sirius"

"Hmmm?"

"Am I going to die?"

Sirius choked on his tea and stared across the table at his fifteen year old Godson. He set his mug down on the table abruptly. "Of course you're not going to die! Why on Earth would you say such a thing?!" he exclaimed, more forcefully than he had intended.

It was a quiet afternoon at Grimmauld Place, two days after Harry and the Weasley children had arrived. The day after Arthur had been almost killed by a giant snake. Everyone was hospital visiting, and Harry and Sirius had been sitting peacefully together in the kitchen. Well, Sirius had been peaceful. Clearly Harry could not say the same.

The boy flinched a little at the harsh tone in Sirius' voice, but carried on bravely. "Voldemort's never going to let me rest is he? He's never going to leave me alone. And if it's not him that kills me it will be his Death Eaters. Or Umbridge. It just seems inevitable really. Death, I mean. For me." Harry didn't sound scared. Or upset, or sad. Just tragically matter of fact.

For the first time since he had arrived Sirius looked at Harry, properly looked at him. His bright green eyes were ringed with purple shadows, and Harry seemed to have lost weight in his face. His hair, always uncontrollable, was particularly wild today. Clearly it had not seen a hairbrush in several days. The worst part of all, the thing that caused Sirius' heart to clench painfully, was that Harry looked so completely and utterly defeated. Any fight the boy might have had left had been battered away by one terrible event after another.

Sirius felt his already fractured heart splinter further. Harry was fifteen. A child really, far too young to be so calm about his own death. So certain that there was no other way.

Sirius slid off his chair and crossed the table, kneeling right in front of Harry. His Godson was looking anywhere but at Sirius, so he gently took hold of Harry's chin and forced his eyes to look up. At the sudden contact Harry's eyes started to fill with tears, but he blinked them back and straightened himself up.

"Harry" Sirius began gently "I am not going to pretend that we haven't got a fight ahead of us. Things weren't easy last time and they're certainly not going to be again. But you have to remember, please know that you are not alone. I-"

"But that's just it isn't it?" Harry interrupted. "It's me he wants. It's me he's always wanted. Since the day he killed my parents. He's destroyed; he's going to keep destroying everyone I love until he gets to me. And I don't stand a chance Sirius; I can't fight them all alone. I just can't". Harry was bordering on the hysterical now, words coming out in a frightened jumble. Sirius, acting on an instinct he didn't know he had, pulled Harry forwards and held him in a very tight embrace. He said nothing, knowing that words would not console the now sobbing boy in his arms.

After five minutes Harry seemed to have cried all of his worries into Sirius' shoulder. He gave a quiet sniff and raised his head to look at his Godfather. "I'm so sorry" he whispered, the faint flush of embarrassment reddening his cheeks.

Sirius gave a sad smile. "You are not going to die" he said firmly "You have been through so much, and I am not going to lie to you and say your life is going to get any easier any time soon. But, and it is very important you believe this Harry, you are not alone. You have your friends; you have Dumbledore and the Order. But more than that, so much more important than that is that you have me. I love you more than anyone else in this whole world, and I am not going to let anything happen to you."

Harry gazed at Sirius, and for the first time his eyes betrayed the first signs of hope. He sniffed, and wiped his eyes once more. "Thank you" he breathed.

Sirius nodded his head ever so slightly. The two sat in a more companiable silence for several minutes, both drinking their now lukewarm tea.

Then a terrible thought struck Sirius, as he recalled Harry's earlier words. "Err, Harry? What did you mean when you said "If it's not him that kills me it will be Umbridge?"

Harry went very very still.

To be continued..