"Strangers are friends you have yet to meet"
~Unknown
"Don't pray for lighter burdens, but for stronger backs."
~Unknown
Harry Potter: Age 9
Yukon, Canada, The World - 1989
Sirius Black stared out the window into the coming night, watching as the sun disappeared completely over the horizon and the stars began to make themselves known to
the world. The man's arms were crossed tightly across his chest, his fingers drumming impatiently. His eyes were dark, his eyebrows narrowed in suppressed anger. His usual carefree grin was missing from his face, leaving lips that were pursed in a frown. His stance was tense, if someone tried to come up to him they would be thrown back by an invisible, static force field.
Harry stared morosely at his godfather, the man who had raised him; he knew that the animagus was furious. He didn't dare start the conversation, fearing what would be said to him in return, but the agonizing silence was killing him. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.
"I'm sorry," he whispered in that quiet, childish voice of his, the lisp still slightly marring the sentence. His back to his godson, Sirius barked a dry, humorless laugh.
"I should hope you are," he stated coldly. Harry flinched back from his tone and his words, feeling his shame sink even further into his body. Sirius turned around to face him, and despite his anger, felt sorrow wash over him at the sight of his pup. Harry's head hung low, but the tearful eyes were still visible beneath his shaggy hair. Sirius sighed, all of the anger melting away and leaving weary resignation in its place.
"Come over here, Pup," he ordered quietly. Harry sniffed, still fighting back the tears that were threatening to fall, and shuffled awkwardly over to the man who took care of him. Sirius gave another sigh and knelt down on the ground in front of his godson.
"Harry," he continued in that soft voice, "I'm sorry for upsetting you, but you need to learn that you just cannot go around telling people!" Harry started to protest, but Sirius shushed him and kept going.
"I know that you want friends your own age, and I was happy that you got along with those neighborhood kids, but how on Earth could you tell them about the Magical World?"
"But Paddy! They were saying all these things about their new toys, their big pools, and their big houses, and I kept saying no when they asked me if I had them too! They started looking at me funny, so I couldn't stop myself when I just said that I could do magic. They didn't believe me, so I lifted up a stick. Then they all got scared and ran off." The tears started to fall as he waited for Sirius' reaction.
"I know that they were bragging Harry, and in any other case I would have congratulated you for showing off to those rich pansies, but they're Muggles! If the ministry gets wind of this, they'll be swarming every city in the world looking for you! It was good you told me when you did; that way we managed to leave quickly and quietly."Harry perked up a little, and Sirius gave him a small smile.
"There we go," he encouraged, "there's that smile I love so much. Everything will be alright now, Pup, but you have to promise me that you will never tell a Muggle ever again. Promise?" Harry nodded solemnly.
"Promise."
3 Months Later…
Emerald eyes snapped open, the shadowy pupils adjusting to the darkness that enveloped them completely. Sitting up in his bed, nine year old Harry Potter Black looked around confused, wondering why he had felt that it was time to wake up. He crept to the window, having a hunch but hoping with all of his small heart that he was wrong. The moment that his wide eyes cleared the windowsill he ducked right back down, pressing his back tightly against the wall, his breathing quickening. He knew exactly what he would have to do; his godfather had drilled the steps into his memory years before. He fell to his hands and knees and swiftly crawled through the silent house that they had been occupying for nearly three months.
Reaching an open door out of sight of all the windows, the young boy leapt to his feet and ran inside. Taking a deep breath to calm himself so as not to worry the man sleeping on the bed, he gently shook the lumpy form under the covers.
Sirius Black sat up immediately, searching the room in a panic. His frantic eyes landed on his godson and he calmed down.
"Harry, what's—" Harry's hand shot out and covered his godfather's mouth, effectively stopping the words on his lips. He leaned in close to Sirius' ear.
"People with big, long coats are here." Instantly, Sirius' whole demeanor changed. His body became stiff and completely still. For a moment, he and Harry just sat there, every single one of their senses on High Alert. And then, they heard it. A soft beeping sound which slowly became louder, and louder: one of Sirius' spell alerts. As it made its way up to a deafening noise level, Sirius began to move.
Clambering to his feet, he ran around the room, grabbing items and stuffing them into a large duffel bag. Taking Harry's hand, he pulled him through the entire house, doing the same thing in every room. He never took much, just the few essentials that he knew they would need. They sped everywhere like lightning, never coming to a complete halt. Just as they reached the kitchen a deafening bang filled the air, sending the little boy flying into Sirius' arms. The man cursed softly before hoisting the heavily laden bag over his shoulders, then advised in a whisper,
"Cover your ears and close your eyes." Harry obeyed, holding on even tighter to Sirius, both knowing and dreading what was about to happen. With a loud pop, they disappeared.
Opening his eyes and looking around, all Harry saw was trees. His vision was still fuzzy, a direct result of the side-along apparation. He stumbled out of his godfather's embrace and took a few steps before he turned back around.
Sirius rummaged through the bag, mumbling curses and scolding himself at being caught off his guard. Sighing and running his hand through his hair, a trait that he had learned from James long ago, Sirius turned to look at Harry. The little boy was watching him with those big eyes that never missed the tiniest detail.
"Good job being sneaky and waking me up, Pup. How did you know they were there? Why weren't you asleep?" The seven year old shrugged his shoulders in a fashion that made him seem so much older than he really was.
"I was asleep, but something made me wake up, so I did." He shrugged again, not worried or interested at all in the fact that he could sense danger even when asleep.
"We should find Uncle Moony," Harry said, "he might go back to the house when those people are still there." Sirius stared at the boy for a while until Harry grew uncomfortable with the attention.
"Has anyone ever told you that you are way too smart for your age?" He asked finally, a little embarrassed that a seven year old was telling him something that he should have thought of himself. Harry just giggled.
"You have, all the time!" Sirius chuckled and ruffled his hair, amused at the sight of the little boy tolerating it for a minute and then ducking out of his reach. Drawing his wand, he muttered a quick spell sending his shaggy-dog patronus off into the darkness in search of Remus Lupin. Confident that his friend would get the message and join them soon, Sirius took a minute to look at Harry.
Harry Potter was a scrawny kid. He looked as though he might grow quite tall, but he was as skinny as a stick from the occasional lack of eating that he and his family went through. His dark hair was messy, and the young boy had already fallen into the habit of running his hand through it often. His scar still took up the right upper part of his forehead, though it had faded with time and become nothing but a memory in the back of his mind, albeit one that hurt at times. He was very intelligent for his age; he could keep up with adult conversation because he had never had any other type of conversation, and he could talk with the vocabulary of any grown-up, since his Uncle Moony had taken that very seriously.
His face was slightly gaunt, his cheekbones sticking out a little, with shadows under his eyes from the lack of sleep. His vibrant green eyes didn't miss much and though they seemed worn they shone with happiness. Every time Sirius saw them, he felt a million times better for the decision that he and Remus had made years ago.
Suddenly, a bright light hurtled out of the woods around them, in the shining form of a wolf. It slowed as it neared them, until it stood facing them, and a familiar voice echoed around the clearing.
"Keep safe; Canadian Ministry officials are surrounding the house. I'm returning to the Underground, Sirius, on Dumbledore's Request. Keep in touch."
Sirius growled at the thought of Moony in the werewolf underground again, furious with Dumbledore for asking this of him. 'After all he had been through', he thought bitterly, 'that old coot still thinks that he can—'
"Paddy," the quiet voice shook him out of his reverie. He turned to look at his godson. "Did you bring any food?" Sirius froze.
"Um, I think so…Yes, I did, I packed it in the kitchen…before they came in…Umm," he started searching like a mad-man through the bag, throwing things behind him. There was no food. With a sheepish grin, he turned to Harry. "Oops?"
Harry rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Oi!" Sirius exclaimed. "It wasn't my fault! We just moved in there a couple of months ago, and the emergency food pack was in the kitchen. The kitchen was exploded! See? Not my fault!"
Harry just looked at him with something akin to amusement and exasperation.
"Okay, okay," he sighed, "Let's just go get some then."
People in Whitehorse, Canada, were surprised to see a little boy walking the streets on his own. There were no parents in sight and yet the child marched quite confidently around, and anyone could see the reason why. At his feet, a shaggy dog glared menacingly at everyone who looked too long at the boy. His tongue lolled out of his mouth easily as he panted in his effort to keep up with his master. Both boy and dog seemed a little worse for wear; they looked under-nourished and as if they had just walked out of a fire.
Clara Danes watched the odd pair closely, wondering why she got the feeling that they needed help. Steeling her nerves, the aging lady walked over to them. The dog jumped around to face her, hackles raised, but a gentle pat from his owner stopped him. Clara looked in surprise at the boy, who looked back at her with a small, shy smile.
"Excuse me, ma'am," he started in an adorable child's voice, "but do you know where the nearest grocery store is? My dog and I are hungry, but we don't know our way around." Clara was instantly entranced by the young boy who spoke so well and with such manners. Smiling down at him with her crinkled eyes, she replied,
"Of course, there is a convenience store only a block away from here. I was on my way there myself, maybe we could go together!" She had not been on her way there, but she felt the urge to help them more than she just had. With another shy smile, Clara Danes, Harry Potter, and Sirius Black started down the street.
"My name's Harry," the boy said suddenly, causing Clara to look at him and smile, encouraging him to continue, "And this is Padfoot," the dog barked enthusiastically at his name, and the grandmotherly woman laughed.
"Hello Harry and Padfoot," she chuckled, holding out her hand to the serious-looking child, "my name is Clara." Harry nodded shyly and took her hand, shaking it slightly before quickly letting it go. The trio continued on in silence until shouts reached their ears. Harry stiffened, and Padfoot's hackles rose again as he started growling. Looking in the direction that they had both turned to, Clara saw five teenagers circled around a younger, smaller boy, tormenting him mercilessly. Anger filled Clara, but she knew there was nothing she could do to help this one. The boy and the dog seemed to think otherwise. They changed their direction, heading towards the bullies instead, just as one of them reached out and shoved his prey to the ground. A cry of pain erupted from the poor boy's mouth.
Six windows shattered, and everyone screamed out in surprise. The windows were smoking slightly, and there was no shard of glass bigger that a finger nail; they had been completely blasted. Clara had covered her head, but as she looked up she noticed Harry and Padfoot were not in the same positions that they had been in a moment. They still stood unprotected, but now the dog was rubbing his head against the boy, as if trying to calm him down. The boy in question looked absolutely lethal. His eyes had turned a darker shade of green, and his hands were clenched at his sides. There was no doubt in Clara's mind that he was the cause of the mayhem.
The bullies fled, as did the poor boy they had been tormenting, leaving the trio alone. Staring hard at Harry, Clara was in deep thought. Harry took several deep breaths and closed his eyes, trying to calm and control the magic that had briefly taken control. When he opened them again, Clara came to a decision.
"Well," she huffed, "we can't have this mess simply lying around, can we?" Out of her jacket she drew a long, skinny piece of polished wood. Looking at the mess, she waved it slightly and muttered under her breath, "Reparo". Harry and Padfoot watched in amazement as the broken glass repaired itself and flew back into panes, so that to anyone who passed it would look as if nothing had happened.
Clara turned around to face Harry's gaping face and smiled slightly. She had decided that he must be a wizard, and there was a very big chance that he did not know. She knelt so that she was about the same height as the boy who stared wide-eyed at her.
"Harry, do you do things like this often? There is a reason for it, and if you listen closely I will explain everything to you." Her words seemed to wake the boy out of his thoughts. Smiling encouragingly, Clara opened her mouth to start telling him what he was, but was cut off.
"It doesn't happen a lot…usually I have really good control over my magic, but sometimes I get angry and it kinda comes out. Sorry if I worried you." Clara stared at him.
"You know what you are?" she sputtered incredulously, sure that he was simply an orphan who knew nothing of his heritage and of what he was capable of doing. Harry nodded slowly.
"I'm a wizard, and you're a witch," he said clearly, going over each word carefully as if talking to a child. Clara tried to calm down, mentally reminding herself that she was the adult and he the child; she was the one in control of the conversation.
"Yes, that is correct; I am a witch. But I'm a little confused, Harry. How you do you know of all this?" She congratulated herself for sounding cool and collected, even as Harry pointed to the shaggy dog at his feet. For a second Clara didn't even notice it, but when she did, she was lost all over again. With no sign of concentration or strain whatsoever and without noise of any kind, the dog had disappeared. In his stead, there stood a man dressed in all dark colours with shoulder length black hair, a gaunt, haggard face and faint wrinkles from years of struggle. Clara stifled a gasp behind the hand that she had brought up to her mouth. The man looked at her, judging her reaction carefully. Then, he nodded his head and held out his hand.
"Hello, Clara," he said in relaxed greeting, "it's nice to meet you. I'm Sirius Black." Clara blinked uncertainly, but reached out and shook his hand anyways.
"Animagus?" she inquired somewhat shakily. At Sirius' nod, she continued in a stronger voice, "registered or illegal?" His silence was all the answer that she needed. Clara closed her eyes and took several deep, calming breaths. Then, to her surprise, she felt a light touch on her right arm. Opening her eyes, she saw that Harry had reached out his own hand to her arm, looking worriedly up at her.
"Are you alright?" the sweet, innocent question went straight to Clara's heart, and she gave a real smile to the boy. Once assured that the nice lady wasn't about to faint or scream, Harry continued.
"Please don't tell anyone about Sirius," he pleaded, "he doesn't hurt anyone. This way, he can go with me anywhere, no matter what! Please," he finished, "I only have him and uncle Moony."
Sirius watched in both amusement and awe as Harry slowly but surely convinced Clara to keep his secret. He knew that whilst Harry had learned to look someone in the eye and lie to them easily, whenever he told the truth sincerity practically radiated off of him. With his big eyes looking up, shining with trust and love, it was impossible to turn him down. With that in mind, the animagus snickered to himself—the poor old woman didn't stand a chance.
Harry told Clara almost everything. From the unfortunate events which killed his parents, (he didn't mention who the evil wizard was), to Sirius' and Moony's decision, to what they had been doing for his whole life, leaving out only the biggest details that would put their lives in jeopardy.
"Harry, what I don't understand is why you're always travelling around. Why didn't the three of you just stay in England?" Harry froze, wondering if Clara could be trusted with the biggest secret of all. Unsure of what to do, he turned to his godfather. Clara saw the look that passed between them and braced herself for more shocking news, and she wasn't disappointed.
"Currently," Sirius began in a crisp tone, "I am the only suspect, and therefore obviously the man who is guilty, for the murder of Harry's parents."
2 months later…
Harry glanced around, his young age clear from the excitement in his expression. Deep in the heart of the northern Canadian forest, no one would have thought to find a training camp, let alone a training camp for military wizards. Surrounded by strangers in a strange place, Harry was comforted by the presence of Sirius beside him, just as Sirius was with Harry's. The two of them kept their guards up, looking around the busy camp with thorough, alert eyes, picking up on every movement. Many of the men and women there kept glancing in their direction, curious about the newcomers, but no one approached them. Then, a thirty-something looking man spotted them and jogged over to join them. Once he reached them, he stopped.
"You Sirius and Harry?" he inquired, almost positive that he was correct. Sirius nodded shortly, feeling somehow familiar with the man before him who smiled and held out his hand.
"The name's Adam," he stated, "Adam Danes. My mother's name is Clara." The response was instantaneous. Sirius and Harry both relaxed and Sirius eagerly shook his hand.
"Clara's told us all about you, Adam, and about this training camp here. She said that it might be good for my godson and I to be here. Was she right?" Adam grinned and nodded.
"Definitely," he enthused before turning serious. He looked around cautiously before moving in closer. "All of the soldiers are expecting you, as well as Commander Brighton, but under the names of Thomas Green and his nephew, Jason, both of whom are very good friends with my family…isn't that right, Tom?" Sirius turned to Harry, who nodded his satisfaction and understanding.
"Of course, Adam…are you insinuating that we don't know you? You and I practically grew up together as brothers! How dare you accuse us of such! I am hurt!" Sirius clutched his heart in mock outrage, while Adam laughed and Harry fought back a grin. As he led the pair into the log cabin in the middle of the camp, Adam couldn't help slapping Sirius heartily on the back.
"I think that you two are going to fit in here just fine. This camp," he said, gesturing to everything around them, "is for people who don't think that the world is a perfect place and that the Ministries of the world will save us all on the off-hand that something does happen. We train in combat, both magical and Muggle, and learn everything that is worth knowing in the world. What's more, we have alarms and informants in every city in the world, so if trouble arises, we get there to help and often clean up the mess before Aurors even know that something's wrong; we are better than them in every way imaginable. But the best part is, as far as the Ministry is concerned, we don't exist." Adam paused for a moment for dramatic effect, and laughed inwardly at the blank looks he received from his new acquaintances.
"No one really knows who we are; just that if something goes wrong, we take care of it. Some people have even started calling us "Assassins", though we do that very rarely. We're made of the smartest, fastest, strongest, and bravest. Meaning, there's only about a hundred of us, even when we're out-numbered, we win. Got it so far?"
Sirius and Harry stared at him, wide-eyed. Adam enjoyed their incredulous expressions and grinned, but became serious when they rounded the corner and a medium-sized wooden cabin came into view. Straightening his back and giving his two new friends a last glance, Adam strode through the doorway and left them to follow warily.
"Sir, these are the people I talked to you about. Thomas and Jason Green, remember?" A middle-aged man looked up from his paperwork at a large, wooden desk, frowning slightly at the intrusion. Upon seeing Adam his face cleared for a moment before darkening again at the sight of young Harry standing beside him.
"Sergeant, are we running a daycare here?" he demanded in an incredulous tone, keeping his cold eyes locked on Harry's.
"No, sir," came the reply, "but—"
"Then why, might I ask, is there a kid here? You didn't inform me of this and if you had, I would have refused. Now send them on their way!"
"Sir, I dutifully informed you that Jason was younger than the rest of us, and you were still willing to meet him." The commander glared back at him.
"So you did, and now I've met him, and I don't want this toddler in my camp. Now get them out of here!" Adam was about to argue further, along with Sirius, but Harry knew that it wouldn't do any good for them to fight on his behalf; appearing weak, frightened, and willing to let his friends do all the work for him would only ruin his chances even further. Instead of hiding behind Sirius' legs, Harry steeled himself, stepped past the two men and into the direct line of sight of the aged Commander.
"Sir," he started in a quiet yet firm voice, "my parents were murdered when I was one." Both Commander Brighton and Adam started in surprise; that was not what they had expected him to say. Harry continued, ignoring their shock at his statement.
"The person who did it is still out there, and wants me dead too. I won't always have people there to protect me so I need to learn how to defend myself as well as to fight back. Adam's said that this is the best wizard-army training in the world, though most of the population doesn't even know it exists. If you turn me away, I'll just go somewhere else, and get training that could be completely wrong and cause me to make mistakes that could create worldwide disasters, but I would do it if I have to."
The moment he finished, Sirius stepped forward and placed a reassuring hand on Harry's shoulder, a prideful grin present on his face. Harry didn't acknowledge it though; he kept his eyes on Brighton, determined to make him see reason. Brighton stared right back, as if trying to see past his skin and see the very essence of his soul. Finally, he leaned forward, placing his fists together in front of him on his desk.
"You been trained at all yet?"
"Some spells and a little bit of Muggle-style fighting, sir." Harry replied, sensing that he had won his battle. Brighton sighed.
"Alright," he grudgingly agreed, "but you won't get cut any slack from the instructors, nor your fellow trainees. You'll have the same busy, hard schedule as everyone else, you got that?" Harry grinned and made a mock salute.
"Sir yes sir!" Brighton gave him a look.
"Be off with ye! You'll need your strength for tomorrow." Harry gave one last nod before he turned around and made for the exit, a stunned Adam and a proud Sirius following in his wake. The moment they were out of the cabin, Sirius burst into laughter and had to lean against Adam for support.
"Way to go, Pup!" he whooped in delight, "You showed him! That poor man didn't stand a chance!" Adam glanced at him in surprise.
"He's done that before?" Sirius gave him a grin, grabbing a protesting Harry in a huge hug.
"Harry is an excellent convincer. I don't know how he does it, but once he gets going, he can practically get anyone to do what he wants…I think it's something to do with how he looks at them, but when it comes to strangers, he almost always gets his way." Harry shrugged ruefully.
"It doesn't work on you or Moony, though." Sirius ruffled his hair, but Adam just shook his head slowly.
"Commander Brighton is really tough; he never lets anyone get away with anything. If he likes you well enough, you're lucky and he won't kick you out when you forget to do something. If he doesn't, you might as well pack your bags the moment you get them unpacked here. It's unheard of for someone to talk him into something."
The three of them looked at each other for a moment before Sirius chuckled slightly.
"What can I say," he shrugged his broad shoulders, "it's a gift."
"Alright Ha—Jason," Adam corrected himself, "here's the schedule for you and your uncle. You guys start tomorrow and it's always a busy day, especially if you're not used to it, so I suggest that you guys hit the sack early tonight."
"Will do, thanks," Harry responded, accepting that sheet of paper that Adam held out to him. He walked over to the bunk-bed that he and Sirius would be sharing, all the while reading the paper. It was only seconds before he yelped. Sirius raised his eyebrow, and Harry silently handed the paper to him. Sirius read it thoroughly, his eyes wide, and then went back and read it again. He cursed.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
Schedule for Thomas and Jason Green: Weekdays and Saturday
0445 – 0530 hours: Wake up, freshen up, and breakfast
0530 – 0630 hours: Run around the perimeter of the training area
0630 – 0930 hours: Muggle-style self defense
0930 – 1230 hours: Muggle-style offence
1230 – 1330 hours: Lunch and energy-replenishing break
1330 – 1630 hours: Wand self-defense and offense
1630 – 1930 hours: Useful knowledge lesson
(necessary potions i.e. healing potions, counter-poison potions; history of dark wizards; dark spells and their counters etc.)
1930 – 2100 hours: Physical exercise
2100 – 2200 hours: Dinner and energy-replenishing break
2200 – 2330 hours: Mental exercise (Occlumency)
2330 – 0445 hours: Sleep
Schedule for Sunday
0630 – 0715 hours: Wake up, freshen up, and breakfast
0715 – 0815 hours: Run around the perimeter of the training area
0815 – 1215 hours: Meditating to find inner-animagus
1215 – 1330 hours: Lunch and energy-replenishing break
1330 – 1500 hours: World Happenings (past, present, and future)
1500 – 1700 hours: Wand self-defense and offense
1700 - 1800 hours: Physical exercise
1800 – 1900 hours: Mental Exercise
1900 – 2000 hours: Dinner and energy-replenishing break
2000 – 2200 hours: Yours to do as you wish (nothing illegal, or life-threatening to you or others)
2200 – 0445 hours: Sleep
Adam leaned over and took a look at their schedule and whistled, impressed.
"Not everyone has the same schedule," he explained, "some have it easier than you do…a lot easier, but the harder the schedule is the more Commander Brighton thinks of you. I'd say that you two are pretty high up there on his honour's list!" Harry and Sirius were not comforted in the least, so Adam continued. "Either that or he wants you to quit."
"Goodbye, wonderful feeling of complete restfulness," Sirius proclaimed mournfully. Adam laughed.
"Hey, don't worry about it. You've got a few classes with me, and we all have breakfast, lunch and dinner together. I'll watch out for you two." Sirius looked at him, and then continued.
"Goodbye, couch potatoe-ness; you were a great friend during the long years! Goodbye, laziness; I shall miss you terribly!"
"Goodbye Voldemort," Harry said quietly so that only Sirius could hear him and his godfather stared at him in surprise, "you won't know what's hit you in a couple of years." Having only heard the last part, Adam was confused, but he clearly saw the look that passed between man and boy. It was a look filled with anger, determination and satisfaction. Seeing it made him unintentionally shiver.
'Yes," Adam thought, 'they will do well here.'
Hey guys!
I know, I know, it took me forever to finally get this one posted, and I apologize. Hopefully the
next one isn't going to take that long...fingers crossed!
Any suggestions or comments, review!
Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling.
Thanks to my wonderful Beta, xxTunstall Chickxx for another great edit.
~Wicked
