James was starting to wonder if he best friend had lost his mind. "Your sure you don't want to come in the water? His parents had arranged for them to all go the beach for Sirius's birthday since it was a surprisingly hot summer that year. However Sirius seemed completely uninterested in going in the water, a fact that James could not fathom with how hot it was out. Sirus on the hand adamantly insisted that is was "not that hot you whinny prat," and that James was being an "overdramatic divia". To prove his point Sirus refused to so much as take of his robes. Mrs. Potter had remarked that it was a good thing they were at wizarding beach because muggles would probably look at him oddly for wearing a rode at the beach. James pointed out that the wizards were also looking that him oddly, but his mother told him to be nice. Sirus know James was right though. Suddenly he was pulled out of this thoughts by Mrs. Potter saying his name, by the sound of her voice she had likely had to repeat his name several times before he heard it. "Are you alright dear?" she asked, looking worried. "Yes, I'm fine. Just tiered." well that much is true, he thought, now time for the lie. "My parents have been arguing all night for weeks now. I've hardly slept." He hated lying to Mrs. Potter, she was more of a mother to him than his own mom could ever be. But he reminded himself that part of that was true, he had hardly slept in weeks, however it was not from the arguing, his parents had been fighting no more than normal and even if they had it didn't keep him awake. He had learned to sleep through that long ago. "I'm so sorry my dear." Mrs. Potter said as she gave Sirius a motherly look. Why don't you come sit with me and rest for a while? I could use a nap in the sun as well. Go swim James. Aren't those boys over there in the year ahead of you James? Go say hi, Sirus will catch up with you later." "Are you sure you don't want to come?" James asked Sirius always acted a bit off for a while after spending time with his parents but he seemed worse than normal. He had known something was up when his friend wasn't sending him owls everyday complaining about and mocking his parents and asking for updates on the "outside world" has he called it. James was not one to worry easily but he after hardly hearing from his friend at all for the first two weeks of summer break James had finally mentioned to his mum what was going on. When Mrs. Potter heard she immediately set about trying to get Mr. and Mrs. Black to let Sirius come stay with them. The Blacks hated the Potter's and didn't particularly care about their son either for that matter and so as much as they wanted to make Sirius miserable, they wanted the Potters to stop talking to them even more. They also didn't mind not having to deal with Sirius for the summer either. So as soon as Mrs. Potter had agreed to lock up James's wand so as not to undermine the punishment they had implemented, they agreed to allow him to come. Of course they had failed to mention that they had also beat him 20 times with a silver plated belt, Sirius thought bitterly as he listened to Mrs. Potter babble on about how she had convinced his parents to let him come. He didn't say anything although, he secretly drew comfort from the protective tone in her voice as she spoke of his parents. James was off swimming with friends from school. Mr. Potter was talking to friends from work. It was just Sirius and Mrs Potter. He was sitting in one of the reclining beach chairs, feeling like royalty as he leaned back in his chair and sipped on the ice cold butterbeer that Mrs. Potter had bought for him. Mrs. Potter had even given him a pillow that she had magically fit into her purse. She was talking and Sirius was nodding and half listening, responding only if absolutely necessary, Mrs. Potter didn't seem to mind. She watched as Sirius slowly started to drift off to to sleep. She smiled and pulled out a book to read. They boy needed to rest, she assumed he would be back to himself when he was better rested and remembered what it felt like to be cared for, it broke her heart the way that poor child was treated at home. Sirius tried to hide it but he was a good boy with a good heart, although she knew his upbringing could often influenced him to make not so good choices. She was two chapters into her book when she heard Sirius grunt in his sleep, she looked up to see him snarl in his sleep, jerk up his left sleeve and begen clawing at it with his fingernails. She gasped when she saw the scars on his arms. Quickly and quietly, without giving it a second thought she pulled out her wand and healed all the cuts she could see, completely removing the scars. She next stood, and took a step closer to the boy, kneeling down so as to be eye level with the sleeping boy. She reached out and grasped his arm just below where the hem of the slave was pushed up to. As soon as she touched him he reacted before even opening his eyes. He lashed out with his other hand and smacked her hand away from him, hard. She gasped in surprise and fell back into the sand. At this point Sirius opened his eyes and saw what he had done. Filled with horror that he had just hit the only person who ever felt like a true mother to him Suris saw her wand flailing in her hand as she fell into the sand. Still half asleep he instinctively shielded his face expecting her to punish him with a painful spell the way his parents would have done. Instead though she didn't even look angry as she pulled herself up and gently reached out to pull his arms away from his face. She gestured to her wand, still laying on the ground. "May I heal the rest dear?" "Th-the rest?" Sirius stuttered looking down at his arm. "I'm so sorry sweety, I ought to have asked first. But...they just looked so painful...I couldn't leave them another moment." Sirius nodded dumbly feeling numb at the enxpected kindness. He didn't say anything but he did hold out his arm. Mrs. Potter took this as permission to continue and after casting a spell so no one else could see she lifted the boy's sleeve all the way to his shoulder. He watched, still feeling numb as tears ran down her face. "Oh my dear boy." She whispered, "my poor dear." She healed them quickly but left one faint mark on his arm. "There my boy," she said softly as she finished. "You must be so uncomfortable in that robe. Why not take it off now?" Sirius slowly took it off and looked down and his newly clean arms. "Thank you.." he said softly. She smiled and before he knew it she was hugging him. "Sirius I know you have a hard life at home dear. But please know we are always here for you. I'm always here for you." "I know." he said simply. He wanted to tell her how much that meant to him and how she was the mother he had always dreamed of but the words wouldn't come. Instead he returned the hug, it was okay though, she knew how to interrupt the hug. "I left a small mark dear, easy enough to explain away but enough to remind you that you have a family here who loves you and will do anything to help you. I think of you as another son. I wish you would think of me as your mum." Sirius hugged her harder for a moment longer then whispered "thank you...mum". Two minutes later Sirius winning a swimming race against James and some other friends from school, laughing as he called insults back at them. This was the best birthday of his entire life. The best presents he ever received in his life were the friendship of Prongs and Moony and a mother who didn't hate him and actually cared about him. Not to mention this was the day he got his hope back. Whenever the dark thoughts came now he could use the memory of this day to push them back just as if they were dementors.