Chapter 9: Shopping and Shockers

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Harry woke up the next morning fully refreshed. He changed into his last outfits and put the rest of the clothes in the hamper. He went and sat on the window seat until sun was all the way up in the sky.

It felt great to be somewhere he didn't have to be afraid.

Remembering last night, he walked over to his end table and opened the drawer. It was a picture of his father. It wasn't moving, but he wondered.

"Hello?" he asked it, feeling slightly stupid.

The man in the photo looked at him and replied, "Hello, Harry." Harry almost dropped the picture in shock and the man laughed. "Harry, it's alright. Would you like me to explain?" Harry nodded and the man started. "Okay, Harry, when a picture is made and the person who made them died their spirit goes into the picture which makes them talk."

"So is there one of my mum that I can talk to?" Harry asked.

The man looked pained, but replied, "Harry, your mother isn't dead. She has several pictures, but every time someone tried to talk to her she didn't talk. She isn't dead, son, I don't know how, but she isn't." Harry nodded, but couldn't help the tear of happiness that slid down his cheek. "Harry, I'm not sure we were ever introduced and when we were, you were too young to remember. I'm James Potter and I'm your father."

"I know who you are," Harry said and then feeling awkward asked. "Did you hear what I called Siri last night?"

James smiled at him sadly and said, "Yeah, I did and it's okay that you call him that, son, he's a great person and he'd be a great dad if he had the chance. He has that chance with you and that's why we left you to him."

Harry nodded and smiled at him.

"I have to go, Siri will get worried if I don't come down to eat breakfast."

"Okay, son, I'll always be here for you," James said and his picture went silent.

Harry put set the picture on the end table and dressed for the day in clothes that needed to be washed, but were still clean. He walked to the kitchen and smiled at Sirius.

"Are you hungry?" he asked. Harry nodded and Sirius called out, "Tinker." A house elf appeared and Sirius asked, "Tinker, do you think you and the other house elves could whip us up some breakfast?"

"It would be a pleasure, Master Sirius, Master Harry," Tinker said before he disappeared with a pop. He reappeared a few minutes later with two platters of food. "There you go, sirs," he said and disappeared again.

"Well, Harry, let me get your medicine and then we'll eat," Sirius said and went to grab his medicine from the kitchen. He gave it to Harry and he groaned.

He took it without a word and started eating. They ate together.

"Are we still going shopping today, daddy?" Harry asked.

"Of course, Harry, I was serious. We both need new clothes and I have a couple of things in Diagon Alley that I'd like to grab."

Harry nodded and Sirius grabbed the plates. He cleaned them with magic and Harry left to the fireplace.

Sirius tossed some powder in and the flames turned green. They stepped in together with Harry smooshed next to Sirius and Sirius called out, "The Burrow."

They appeared in the kitchen of the Burrow and waved to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"Hello, boys, Ron will be down in a few minutes. He just had breakfast and had to get dressed."

"Okay, Molly," Sirius said.

"So, Harry, how do you like Potter Manor?" Mr. Weasley asked, closing his newspaper.

"I love it," Harry replied. "Sirius made my room just the way I would have if I had known it was possible and the food is amazing and there's this huge library with enough books that I'm sure if I tried to read them all I'd still have some left over."

"It sounds amazing," Mr. Weasley said.

"It is," Harry said.

Ginny came down a few seconds later with Ron in tow.

"Sorry, didn't think you'd want to wait a year for this git, he was taking forever to figure out what he needed."

Harry laughed, but Mrs. Weasley looked at her sternly.

"Ginerva Weasley, you do not use that kind of language."

Ginny blushed and nodded.

Ron came over to Harry and said, "I'm ready when you are, mate."

"Great," Harry said.

"We'll bring him back after dinner, Molly," Sirius said as he stood up.

They walked over to the fire and Sirius asked, "Ron, can you travel by yourself?"

"Yes, sir, I've done it now for years," Ron replied.

Sirius nodded and he stepped into the flames after tossing some powder in.

"Diagon Alley!"

They were gone.

Harry and Sirius landed in Diagon Alley and waited for Ron. Ron landed a few seconds later.

"Okay, so we need to get Harry and me some new clothes, so, Ron, do you want to help, Harry? I've got to go to a different store and then, I have to do a little shopping myself."

Ron nodded and Harry went to the same store as last time. They picked out a lot of clothes and outfits for Harry to wear and Harry was glad to have more than the three sets he had.

They left and sat on a bench just outside of the store and waited for Sirius.

Sirius appeared about fifteen minutes after they had sat down and smiled at them. Harry had about five bags.

"Tinker," Sirius called. The house elf appeared and Sirius asked, "Please take Harry's and my bags back to Potter Manor and sort them out please."

Tinker took all of the bags and disappeared.

"Okay, I didn't get to do much shopping yet, so let's go to one of the best shops for jokes and then, there's two more stores before we go home, boys," Sirius said like he was really enjoying himself.

Ron and Harry grinned at each other and followed Sirius to the joke shop. When they got there, Sirius helped them in.

"Hello, hello, ah, Mr. Black, I do believe you used to come in here and cause the most trouble around Hogwarts."

"Glad you remember, Mr. Zonko."

Mr. Zonko laughed and said, "How could I ever forget my prized customer? Please, for today only, take whatever you want. You and your friends, of course. Whatever you want, it's yours."

Ron was grinning ear to ear and was already dragging Harry around the store.

By the time they left, they had to call Tinker to get their stuff again.

"Okay, next stop, the Quidditch shop. If we're going to teach you to play Quidditch, son, you've got to have the best broom there is," Sirius said.

"Really, dad?" Harry asked.

"Of course, son."

Ron was smiling and frowning at the same time.

"And as long as you keep it quiet Ron, you can get a broom too, just not too expensive, okay? Just one to keep at the Manor."

Ron nodded enthusiastically and Sirius led them over to the Quality Quidditch Shop. When they walked inside, Harry found a broom that he thought was good, but he wasn't sure.

"Sirius," he called out. Sirius came over and looked at the broom.

"That's newest broom out, Harry. The Nimbus 2000. Just came out on the market. They weren't going to come out with it until next year, but it's the best broom around."

"Can I get it, Daddy? I really like it. I'll even pay for it if I have to," Harry begged.

"You can get it, son," Sirius said. "But no talk about you paying. This is a present from me to you."

Harry nodded and they went to find Ron. He was looking at a broom called the Cleansweep 5.

"Is that the one you want, Ron?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah, it's not the newest, but I really like it," Ron said.

"No problem, Ron," Sirius said. "Are you sure you don't want the Cleansweep 6?"

Ron nodded and said, "Like I said, it's not the best, but it's still good. Better than my brothers' Cleansweep 4's and 3's."

Sirius laughed and they went to check out. They finished and called Tinker to get their stuff.

"Okay, last store and then we'll go get dinner at the Leaky Cauldron or we can go to Hogsmeade and eat the Three Broomsticks."

"The Three Broomsticks," both boys replied at the same time.

Sirius smiled at them and led them to a store that seemed to sell animals.

"Harry, this is my last present from me to you. Well, at least until your birthday or Christmas, I want you to pick any animal, except an owl because I'm going to get you one before you start Hogwarts."

Harry nodded and walked around the store.

"Siri," Harry said as he walked back over to him. "I can't find anything here that I want."

"Do you want to check a muggle shelter?" Sirius asked.

"Can we?"

"Of course, Ron, let's go," Sirius said. They left through the Leaky Cauldron and on the other side, they walked down the road to the muggle shelter. "Okay, let's go pick out your animal, bud."

Harry walked in and immediately went to look around the cages. He went to the dog cages and smiled. He found a puppy with big brown eyes and black and brown and tan fur.

"Daddy, I want this one," Harry called. Sirius came over with the man running the place.

"Sure, son, do you know what you're going to name him?"

"Max," Harry replied. "It's a german shepherd and that's a really good name for a dog like him."

Sirius smiled and the man unlocked the cage. He put the dog on a leash, but not before the dog ran up to Harry and gave him a big lick on the face.

Harry laughed and the man gave Harry the leash. Sirius paid with muggle money and they left.

"Are you happy, son?"

"Very," Harry replied.

Sirius grinned and they went back through to Diagon Alley. Tinker came and picked up Max while Sirius, Ron, and Harry went through the floo to the Three Broomsticks. After they landed, Ron breathed in deeply.

"You guys must be starving, why don't you take a seat?" Madame Rosmerta said. As they went to sit down, she stopped them. "Wait a minute, Sirius Black, what do you think you're doing in my shop?"

Sirius laughed and replied, "Please, Rosmerta, keep it down. Now, I'm here because I was proven innocent. Harry is living with me now and this is one of his friends, Ron."

Rosmerta nodded and they sat down. They had a pleasant dinner after that and when they got ready to leave, they all said good bye to her.

Sirius and Harry took Ron home through the floo and then, Sirius carried Harry through the floo and home.

He took Harry upstairs and tucked him into his bed. He looked at the picture on Harry's bedside table.

"Am I doing good, Jamie?" Sirius asked.

"You're doing great, Siri. He loves you more than anything and I'm glad he has you."

Sirius smiled and James smiled back. Sirius kissed Harry's forehead and went to sleep in his room.

The next morning, Sirius woke up and found Harry lying next to him. He sighed and woke him up gently.

Harry woke and looked at Sirius.

"Are you okay?"

"I had a nightmare," Harry replied.

"What about?"

"That some creepy man came and killed my dad and then he killed mummy right in front of me, but she didn't die."

"What do you mean she didn't die?" Sirius asked.

"Well, I asked my dad when I found his picture if I could talk to my mum's picture too and he said I couldn't because she didn't die."

Sirius was surprised, but Harry was slowly falling back to sleep. He sat up and walked down to the kitchen. He made some breakfast and sat it down on the table. He had almost finished eating when Harry came down and sat next to him.

"So what time is Mrs. Greengrass and her kids coming over, daddy?" Harry asked as he started eating.

"I don't know, I guess she'll show up when she shows up."

Harry nodded and Max showed up at his feet. Harry fed him a bit of sausage. Max licked his hand and Harry smiled. Sirius brought Harry his medicine and Harry took it.

"Do you want to go get some Quidditch practice before they come over?" Sirius asked.

Harry nodded enthusiastically and finished eating quickly. He then ran upstairs with Max on his heels and changed into one of his new outfits. He found his new broom near his bed and ran back downstairs. Sirius was standing near the back door waiting for him with a Nimbus 2000 in his hands too.

"I decided when you got one to get one too."

Harry grinned and they went out to the pitch in the backyard. They stopped just inside the pitch and Sirius looked at him seriously.

"Okay, now, first thing, you need to hold you broom tight, but not too tight because you don't want to pull up or down too fast and fall off." Harry nodded and Sirius showed him how to get on and loosen his grip enough to be relaxed, but safe. "Now, you have to kick off hard, but be careful and steady yourself."

Harry nodded and kicked off. He felt like he was weightless and it felt amazing. He smiled at Sirius and took off like he had been doing it forever. He flew around the pitch again and again and then pulled up new Sirius.

"How was that?" Harry asked.

"Are you sure you've never flown before?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah, I've never flown before, Siri, but this is amazing," Harry said breathless.

Sirius smiled at him and a voice from below called, "What were expecting, Siri? He's bound to be as good as Jame."

Harry and Sirius looked down and saw Gabriella and two girls near her. They went down and landed in front of them.

"Hi, Gabby," Sirius greeted. Gabriella blushed and Sirius grinned.

"Hi, Mrs. Greengrass."

"Hello, Harry, have you been having fun today?" Gabriella asked.

"Yes, I have. This was my first time flying and I love it."

Gabriella smiled at him and said, "Your father loved flying too." Harry smiled and Gabriella pointed out, "Okay, Harry, this girl right next to me is my oldest Daphne and this one is Astoria."

"Hi," Harry said.

"Hi," Daphne said. "You're a really good flyer."

"Thanks," Harry said as he blushed.

"Well, I guess, I'm going to hide," Astoria said.

"No, why don't you guys come fly with me? We have extra brooms."

"Sure," Astoria said, but Daphne looked disgusted.

"Um.. I think I'll stay down here. I like my feet on the ground."

"Okay," Harry said as he led Astoria to the broom shed. She picked out the other Nimbus and they headed out to the pitch. They flew around leisurely and then started playing tag.

Sirius watched Harry carefully, but with a smile on his face.

"He's fine, Siri," Gabriella said as they went to sit on the patio. Daphne was watching Astoria and Harry with jealousy, but decided to join them after all. "So, how has it been?"

"He's been fine. He had a nightmare last night, but that was it," Sirius said almost distantly.

Gabriella nodded and said, "Siri, you know I want to stay here more than anything. The kids know I'm not in love with their father. They've known since they were seven and five and Daphne started observing people."

"But, Gabby, you're still married."

"I know, Siri, but if that were to change, would it change anything?" Gabriella asked practically begging him to say yes.

"You know the answer to that, Gabby," Sirius replied. "I've loved you since the first time I laid eyes on you in seventh year and ever since, you are all I can think about."

Gabriella smiled with tears in her eyes and was reaching out to grab Sirius's hand when Astoria ran over.

"Mum, Mr. Black, Harry fell off his broom. I caught him, but it looks like he fainted."

Sirius ran over to Harry and looked him over. When he realized nothing was wrong, he murmured, "Ennervate." Harry blinked and his eyes opened. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, my back started hurting and I fell."

Sirius sighed and picked him up.

"Here, let's get you inside. Gabby, could you grab his salve from the kitchen? It should be on the counter."

Gabriella nodded and ushered her kids inside with comforting words.

Sirius carried Harry upstairs and helped him take his shirt off. Most of the scars on his chest were gone, except a particularly nasty one that didn't look like it was going away and almost all of the scars on his back was gone, except for one along his spine and another near the top of his shoulder blade.

Gabriella came in with Harry's medicine and gasped.

"I left the kids downstairs," she whispered. "Do you need any help?"

"Yeah, I was going to put some on his back. Could you get the one scar on his chest?"

Gabriella nodded and rubbed the salve in. Sirius did the same and after, Sirius tucked Harry in. He kissed his forehead and looked at James.

James was looking from his picture at Harry in horror.

"Who did this to him, Sirius?" James asked.

"The Dursley's. Not so much the wife, but Vernon and the dumb son," Sirius replied. "I had specific plans to deal with them, but Harry convinced me not to because he wouldn't have been able to live with me."

James nodded and said, "Hello, Gabriella, it's nice to see you with Sirius again."

"Oh, I'm not with him, Jamie, but I hope I will be soon," she said.

James grinned and said, "I'm sure it won't take to long." The picture went silent.

Sirius sighed and Gabriella rubbed his arm.

"It'll be alright, Siri, he's going to be fine. He just needs to be careful."

"I know, but the fact that I can't do anything to those people that did this to him, it makes me angry."

Gabriella lifted his chin so he had to look her in the eye and said, "Now, the Sirius I knew would do anything he wanted and could do it in secret if he wanted to, he was a marauder like Jamie and he loved to have fun, where is he?"

"Right here, but.."

"No, 'buts', do want you need to do, Siri, just don't get caught like you used to," she said with a wink.

Sirius grinned at her and the mischievous gleam in his eyes returned and made her smile.

"That's the Siri I knew," she whispered. Sirius was grinning, but was slowly leaning in. He couldn't help it, but she didn't give him the chance to pull away. It was just a peck, but she whispered, "Soon, Siri."

She walked out of the room leaving Sirius thinking mischievous things and wanting something more.

"Don't do it, Sirius," James said. "There's more to the mystery."

"I know, Jamie, but I don't know how much mystery I can take."

James laughed and said, "You never were patient, Siri, but you have to be. So, what are you going to do to my brother-in-law?"

"Now, that's a secret, Jamie, I'm going to do something real good. Something a marauder would do and you would be proud of."

James grinned and Sirius left, while turning out Harry's light. Gabriella had taken the kids home and Sirius was feeling particularly marauder like. Time to put the first part of his plan in motion.