Sirius sat his son down on his knee and ruffled his hair. Archer Levi Black was now nearing five years old.
"I'll tell you what you want to know," he said seriously. "But boy you better listen close."
Archer wobbled a bit on Sirius' knee but sat up straighter.
"People are going to tell you lies, don't let it come as a surprise."
There was a strangled scream from downstairs and a loud crash of breaking glass. Sirius flinched at the sound.
"That woman's on my back again," he said rolling his eyes. "I know she's got the best intentions …" He trailed off listening to the howls coming from his enraged ex-girlfriend.
Archer wobbled unsteadily again, bringing Sirius' attention back to him.
"When you begin to realize, you know you got your daddy's eyes."
Archer grinned at his father. "Mama says that all the time. She also says that I'm a trouble maker like my daddy."
Sirius chuckled and nodded. "And there's something that I want to say …" Archer stared up at his father and waited. "I love her, too. And all of this has got nothing to do with you." Sirius ruffled Archer's hair again. The young boy almost slipped off his father's knee but caught himself in time.
There was another loud crash from downstairs and Sirius let out a long, heavy sigh.
"And I'd like to stay but I can't because I've been fooling around." He had said it more to himself but Archer nodded seriously so Sirius continued. "And I know that you called because you never even knew that it was hurting me."
Sirius gazed at his son before looking away, not being able to bear the confusion now on his son's face. "When you put it on the other hand, when you're old enough to understand, that glove will bring it all to life."
Archer's brows came together in frustration and opened his mouth to ask what his father meant.
"I didn't say that made it right," Sirius continued. "Because that woman's on my back again I know she's got the best intentions." He fondly ruffled his son's hair for the third time. "When you begin to realize, you know you got your daddy's eyes."
"I know, Daddy," Archer said slowly, carefully watching his father.
Sirius was staring off into space, not really paying attention to the noises downstairs or to his son on his knee. "And sometimes," he said slowly, "people get tired. And I woke up a little too late to lie …"
Sirius picked Archer up off his knee and set him onto the bed. He rose and walked to the door, pausing in the doorway. He ran his fingers over a painting that Archer had done two weeks before. "Dreams should last a long time," he said softly to himself.
"Daddy? Are you leaving now?"
Sirius turned to see the sadness on his son's face. He nodded and smiled softly. "This is not what I'd call goodbye." He winked at his son and went into the hallway.
He went past all the pictures of Archer in the hall and down the stairs, quickly past the kitchen where his ex-girlfriend was still throwing things, and out the front door.
As he walked down the brick streets he thought to himself, "I love her, too."