AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

Chapter 9

The train pulled into the station at Marseilles and Sirius exited the train, suitcase in one hand, Harry balanced on his hip and held in place by his other hand. The child had woken up from his nap an hour or so earlier and since then had been enthralled by the view from the window, the houses, towns, landscape and even the trees were so different from what he had seen, what he had known and Sirius had also spent an enjoyable time watching the joy and amazement on his godson's face, knowing that he had finally given the child something to enjoy after too many years without being able to have fun, to enjoy things.

The next step was to find a small alley that was out of the way and that nobody came into and to apparate to the chateaux where they would stay whilst he would try to implement the next stages of the plan, namely buying a house and getting a job and getting Harry into the appropriate muggle education, he certainly wasn't the right person to teach Harry how to read and write and do maths. Moony had always been the studious one, even though both he and James had been very clever, he was fairly sure he wasn't a good teacher and that the professionals would do a better job. Not to mention Lily had wanted her son to have a muggle education so he could learn about both worlds.

He had just located a likely looking alley when suddenly warnings flared up inside his brain. Shocked he immediately froze, his mind flashing back to the warning he had received in the station and what he had subsequently found out about the train. Maybe it was the same situation and if he was to apparate now he would be walking into danger. Even if the warning that was still pulsing inside his mind was not correct he quickly decided he was not going to take the chance. He knew he was being paranoid, but he wouldn't risk Harry's safety, he wasn't going to do anything that might result in the boy being sent back to the bastards he called his Aunt and Uncle.

All that flashed through his mind in under a second and before his godson had even really registered that Sirius had stopped the animagus was already moving once again. It was nearly supper time, he had been planning to eat in the chateaux but they could eat in Marseilles just as easily and maybe in an hour or so the danger would have passed, and even if it hadn't he was sure he would be able to get a hotel room for one night at least.

A short walk later and they were sitting in a small bar which overlooked the marina. Harry was happily watching the boats sail back and forth and Sirius was introducing the boy to his first French as he taught his godson the names for the items on the menu and the colours of the boats he was watching avidly.

The meal was an enjoyable one although Sirius had almost choked when Harry had been so surprised that he was getting supper as well, but once he had reassured his godson it was alright to eat the food the meal had gone extremely well and he was finally getting the child to open up a bit more, about what he liked and disliked although it saddened him that the opinions were stilted and he only offered information when prompted heavily.

Just over an hour later the meal was finished and the bills were paid, and Sirius thought that it would be a good time to see if it was safe to apparate to the chateaux once more. He scooped the sleepy child up into his arms and he couldn't help but smile as he felt Harry snuggle closer, resting his head against his shoulder, eyes fluttering closed.

Managing somehow to juggle the remaining baggage in his one free hand he manoeuvred his way through the crowds, searching for the alley he had found when he came out of the station. Finding it once more, he headed down it, his mind alert for any more of the strange warnings that had flashed through his mind on the two previous occasions. Finding nothing, he tightened his grip on his godson, making sure that he was holding the boy securely; he twisted on the spot, apparating to the Chateaux Noire.

Once the nauseating feeling of apparition had worn off he found himself standing at the entrance to Chateaux Noire, when he felt Harry bury his head in his shoulder and the child's whole body was trembling. "Shhh puppy, it's alright now, it's over," he murmured as he gently rubbed his godson's back. Slowly the shivers ceased and Harry relaxed in his arms, yawning softly. Sirius smiled tenderly down at the young boy before scanning the surroundings.

He saw quickly that nothing appeared out of place and the chateaux still resembled the pretentious castle he could remember from his childhood, albeit a little grimier, especially on the outside. With a brisk step, still alert to any possible danger, he strode up to the castle doors, laying his hand on the embossed metal plate. He could feel the magic of the house pooling at his touch, the last remaining male Black and a rush of magic swept through him as the house recognised its master and the wards snapped up. He couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, with the wards up it would take a lot of firepower and several days for the Ministry to bring them down and that at least would give him enough time to escape and get to safety if they ever came knocking and whilst they were up they were almost as protected as it was possible to be magically.

The doors slowly swung open and he stepped into the hall, the Chateaux always been the nicest of the Black Family homes, instead of the dark greens and silvers that covered the places such as his childhood home, the Chateaux was decorated in a mixture of silver, light greens and creams. There were still Slytherin overtones but he had to admit it was a lot nicer than all the other homes.

Ignoring the ornate staircases and the myriad of function rooms that extended off the hallway he headed for the kitchens, he would need help if he could get it and he had always thought fondly of the house elves that lived here, they had always been kind to him and he had been kind to them in return and he hoped they would still be around. A house elf would be invaluable if he was going to survive the next few years until Harry was old enough to go to Hogwarts.

He descended the back staircase and he soon reached the small door that opened into the kitchens. Stooping carefully, so not to jostle Harry who was nearly asleep, snuggled in his arms; he fumbled for the latch, his fingers finding it eventually and pushed the door gently open. Light spilled into the dark stairwell and abruptly the quiet, household noises of brush against pot and the chatter of house elf voices cut off. Feeling slightly uncomfortable he stepped through the entrance only to be immediately confronted by the four house elves, determined expressions on their faces.

"Do not hurt the child Master Black!" The squeaky voice of Tarbu the Head Elf broke the sudden silence and Sirius could see their fear at having to go against their master but at the same time the determination to protect Harry.

Slowly he sat down, not making any sudden movements that could frighten them, he realised that they must have heard about his incarceration and the reasons behind it, and while he was pleased they wanted to protect his pup, at the moment it was an unnecessary complication he could have done without.

Harry shifted restlessly in his arms and instantly Sirius's attention, along with the four house elves snapped to the small boy. "It's alright puppy," he murmured, stroking the black hair, "I'm not going anywhere," There was a sleepy mumble from the six year old, "I promise puppy. They will not take you away from me." Emerald eyes peeked up to meet his own grey ones and Sirius smiled reassuringly before pressing a kiss onto Harry's forehead. A smile tugged at his godson's lips and the child turned, burying his face back into the security of his godfather's chest as Sirius tightened his arms, holding him close.

He watched the boy for a few more, precious moments before his eyes moved up to regard the house elves who had been his only friends in this house. To his utter surprise, each now wore looks of guilt on their faces and they appeared to be seconds away from punishing themselves. "We are sorry Master Sirius," He started as he noted the changed form of address, he had never managed to get them to call him just by his given name but after a lot of persuasion he had managed to get them to call him Master Sirius, something they could all manage without offending their sensibilities too much.

"We did not see that Magic would not allow you to harm your godson and that you love him too much to ever hurt him." Tarbu continued, shame written all over his features. Sirius let out a barely audible sigh of relief, they were the first allies he had in the magical world and they would be able to do things such as purchase supplies and objects anonymously, using a bank note. Suddenly the actual words Tarbu had spoken penetrated,

"What do you mean Magic would not allow me to harm him?" he demanded quietly. He saw shock flash across their features but this time it was Kitzy who spoke up,

"Master Sirius does not know of the bond?"

"I know about the bond," Sirius told them, confusion showing on his face, what on earth did the bond have to do with magic preventing him from ever harming his pup?

"It is a protection bond," Kitzy informed him, "The magic in the bond will not allow you to knowingly harm him and it will give you the tools to protect him." She paused, "We don't know any more, we can see the bond due to our magic but bonds of this kind are an ancient wizarding magik which we know very little about, we are sorry Master Sirius."

But the animagus just waved their apologies aside, deep in thought. He would never hurt Harry, he loved his godson so the fact that the bond would prevent him harming him didn't faze him in the slightest, it was unimportant, however the fact that it did other things apart from linking their emotions and allowing him to find him was very interesting. Thinking about it, he wondered if the strange premonitions he had received were the result of the bond warning him of danger, to help him keep his pup safe.

As that thought occurred to him, he wondered what had happened here to generate a warning, turning to the house elves, he asked quietly, "Has anything happened here in the last few hours that would have put either Harry or me in danger?"

Instantly the elves nodded, "Bad men came Master Sirius," they said, "They searched the house and they told us you were a bad man and that you were hurting Young Master Harry. They wanted to find you and take you away."

Fear flashed through him, they already knew he had Harry and they were searching for him, he swallowed hard, forcing the lump in his throat down. "Have you told them I am here?" he asked, voice strained, but immediately they shook their heads,

"We wanted to get the child to safety before we called them Master Sirius."

He let out a shaky breath, he was safe for the moment. The Aurors, or Dumbledore, he wasn't sure which, did not know he was here and the fact they had searched, not even an hour before and found it clean meant that he was safe here for some time yet, knowing the inefficiency of the magical world, they were unlikely to be back within a month and with the wards up he would have plenty of warning. However it rammed the point home that he would not be able to hide out in any of the old properties, they were all too well known and he could never hope to stay hidden for long, never mind the four years until they would be able to access Potter Manor. But still he needed to find a home in the muggle world and fast.

"Thank you," he said sincerely and they just nodded their appreciation, another habit it had taken him years to get them to develop, "However if they ever come and ask about me again I want you to tell them that I have never been here understood?" They all nodded again and a chorus of "Yes Master Sirius," sounded. Then Kitzy spoke up, she had always been the bravest of the elves,

"Is Master Sirius and the Young Master, not staying?" she asked. Sirius smiled down at her,

"We will for a little while but not permanently though, it wouldn't be safe for either of us," he glanced down at his godson, unconsciously drawing the little boy closer and holding him tightly against him. Kitzy frowned, "Where will you be staying Master Sirius?"

"In the Muggle world, I am unlikely to be found there, and with the aid of glamours I should be able to move around freely and give Harry the childhood he would not get if we were constantly hiding."

"Kitzy will help Master Sirius." The elf announced firmly, and when Sirius opened his mouth to protest she ploughed on regardless, "She will make the arrangements to purchase a small property and she will look after Master Sirius and the Young Master without alerting the muggles." She looked at him sternly and Sirius swallowed the objections, having a house-elf would be a huge help and as long as she stayed out of the way of Wizards and Muggles alike it should be fine.

"Thank you Kitzy, now I need a small house, in a small town in an area of France which does not get many tourists, magical or muggle please. You may use money from the Black Account to make the purchase and I would like the house to have two or three bedrooms and a garden where this little one is able to play safely." Then he turned his attention to the other three, "I would like you to prepare my old room and make it suitable for the two of us and if you have time around your other duties I would like you to help Kitzy as much as possible." They all nodded once more and popped away to carry out his instructions.

It was then Sirius realised that he was bone tired. Yawning, he clambered back to his feet, keeping Harry balanced carefully in his arms. His godson was sleeping peacefully and he thought the child had precisely the right idea. Smiling to himself, he made his way slowly up to his room, noting instantly that the elves had carried out their orders perfectly. The bedroom was completely clean, their luggage was piled neatly in one corner and two pairs of pyjamas were laid out on the bed. It was with a chuckle he noticed that the elves had not bothered to put up a second bed, seemingly realising that he was loath to let Harry go when he had only just found him. He also noticed that there was a small note on the bed saying that they would have breakfast ready after midday, and they advised both him and Harry to sleep well.

Still smiling, his deft fingers changed Harry into his pyjamas and settled him down into the bed, tucking him in gently. A small discontented sound escaped, evidently Harry disliked leaving the safety of his godfather's arms. Sirius smiled tenderly then stooped down, pressing a kiss onto the scarred forehead, "Love you puppy," he whispered before moving to change himself.

Barely a few minutes later he slipped under the covers, one arm reaching out and pulling Harry towards him, until the child was nestled against his side. His godson snuggled closer, burrowing into Sirius, small fingers clutching at the fabric. Sirius relaxed, holding Harry gently as he began to drift off, the previous night and the days running to reach Surrey finally catching up with him. "Goodnight little one," he whispered as the darkness claimed him.

Hi all, thanks for the reviews and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Those who read my other story will already know this, but I am moving to fortnightly updates, I have far too much work to manage anything else.

Anyway, please review and see you in two weeks!