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CHAPTER TEN:

After lunch, Remus offered to clean up the kitchen so Sirius scooped Harry into his arms and took him upstairs to clean up. Harry had stiffened when he had grabbed him but as Sirius placed him on his hip, he relaxed as they walked up the stairs. He washed his hands and his face and then Sirius took him outside into the backyard.

Sirius grabbed a football from among the toys that he had purchased and the two of them spent almost an hour running around the yard and kicking the ball around. Every time Harry scored (kicking it past Sirius), Sirius would swoop down, pick him up and swing him around in his arms. By the third time that he had done this, Harry looked forward to it, grinning and giggling as he spun in a circle.

They went back inside the house and had some water and Remus offered to continue his story. Sirius, not wanting Harry to clam up again, picked up his godson and simply sat him on the couch next to him, his arm around his shoulders, and his head resting against his chest.

Harry stayed there as Remus continued the tale of how the lady in the lake guided the young knight to find the Sword of Excalibur. They decided to take a break so that Remus could start dinner so Sirius picked Harry back up into his arms and they went back outside.

Sirius transformed into his dog form and wrestled the boy, loving the way that he laughed and snuggled into his fur, relaxed, until Remus called them in for supper.

Remus finished the story after they finished eating and then headed home for the night. Sirius got Harry ready for his bath. Harry hesitated, but this time only for a moment, before undressing and climbing into the big tub, his hands already reaching for the toy boats. Once he was scrubbed and cleaned, his teeth brushed and his hair combed, and the last of the potion drank, Sirius tucked him into his bed, leaning down to kiss his forehead.

"Uncle Padfoot?"

"Yes, Prongslet?"

Harry yawned, the last of the potion Pomfrey had given him already kicking in. He bit his lip when the light went out and the soft whimper that came from him made Sirius sit back on the edge of the bed.

"What is it, Harry?"

"I don't like to be locked in the dark," he whispered.

Sirius stretched out on the bed next to his godson, turning to look at him. "It's not that dark in here, Prongslet. See the sliver of moonlight coming in through the window?" When Harry nodded, he smiled. "And the stars too. But sometimes, it's still too dark so how about this," he shot sparks out of his wand and a dozen tiny fairy lights sprung around the room, illuminating the room in a soft incandescent glow. "How's that?"

Harry smiled, snuggling the two stuffed stags close to him. Sirius had cleaned the larger one that he had taken from the cupboard under the stairs at the Dursleys and given it to Harry before bed. "Thank you."

Sirius smiled and gently brushed a fingertip down his cheek. "You are very welcome."

He climbed off of the bed and made it to the door before Harry spoke again.

"Uncle Padfoot?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"Don't go."

Sirius turned and smiled at the child. "You know, I can't stay in here with you all the time, Prongslet. I have my own bed to sleep in."

Harry nodded, his eyes wide and sad. "I'm sorry. I'll be good."

Sirius crawled back onto Harry's bed, smiling at him. "I'll stay until you fall asleep, okay?"

Harry smiled sheepishly and nodded, holding the stuffed dog out to him. "Dog?" He asked, his voice slurring as a result of the healing potion.

"Okay, Prongslet," Sirius said with a smile and he transformed.

Harry snuggled into the dog's thick fur, sighing in contentment and in less than two minutes was out like a light. Sirius stayed snuggled with the child for most of the night, finally sneaking off into his own room some time after two. He transformed back into himself, crawling into his own bed and closing his eyes.

Tomorrow would be another day.

Sirius decided that using the Floo network was probably the best way to get to St Mungo's the next morning in time for their appointment. After a breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast and bacon. He helped Harry dress in jeans and a tee shirt; made sure his teeth were brushed and his hair was combed before he stood him in front of the fireplace in the living room.

"Now Harry, you know how I've been showing you how we can do magic things?" When Harry nodded, he smiled. "Well, one of the ways that witches and wizards can travel is by the Floo Network which is by fire." Harry's eyes widened in fear as he looked at the flames and Sirius knelt down in front of him, his hands on his shoulders. "Don't be scared. It doesn't hurt. And I would never do anything to hurt you. I promise." When Harry nodded, he continued. "I'm going to hold you tight in my arms, we're going to take a pinch of Floo powder and say the location of the place we're going which for us is St Mungo's Hospital. Then we'll drop it and boom we're spinning through dimensions until we land in the grate that we want."

Harry didn't look convinced but when Sirius' arms came around him, he twined his arms around his neck and held on tight. Sirius smiled, grabbing the powder and stepping through the flames. When they arrived at St Mungo's, Harry was grinning like a fool.

"I like to spin!"

Sirius laughed and adjusted the hat that he had placed on his godson's head to hide the scar from the gawkers. "See? Nothing to worry about."

He headed to the spell damage floor with Harry in his arms, veering off to the end where the small children's clinic was. He told the receptionist that Sirius Black was here and took his seat with Harry in his lap.

"Can we spin again?" Harry asked him as they sat down.

Sirius grinned. "When we go home we can."

"Sirius Black?"

Sirius stood up, putting Harry on his hip as he followed the receptionist back into an examination room, sitting Harry up on the soft padded table.

"Healer Castellanos will be in with you momentarily." The woman closed the door behind her and Sirius smiled at Harry.

"Remember what I told you this morning, Harry?"

Harry nodded. "The healer is going to check me over."

"That's right. And?"

"And it won't hurt."

"That's right, Harry." Sirius said with a smile. "And I'm going to be here the whole time if you get scared or if you need me just ask, okay?"

Harry nodded, swinging his legs back and forth in front of the table. "Okay."

The door opened and the woman in the white robe surprised Sirius. She was very beautiful. Golden blonde hair pinned up in a ballerina bun, loose tendrils dancing around her neck. She had soft hazel eyes and a pretty smile, but it was her age that surprised him. She had to be very young, he thought, maybe even a few years younger than himself.

"Mr Black?" She asked, her eyes finding his dark grey ones.

Sirius nodded, extending his hand. "That's me. You are Healer Castellanos?"

The healer smiled. "I am. And what are we here for today, Sirius?" She asked Harry, who immediately looked down at his feet.

Sirius smiled. "No, that's me, I'm Sirius Black. Madam Castellanos-"

"Miss and Thea is fine, I know Castellanos is a difficult name for most people." She said laughing. "If you're Sirius, then who is my patient?"

"I gave my own name to keep it quiet. I know that healer-patient confidentiality will prevent you from saying anything," when she nodded, her eyes alight in curiosity he nodded. "This is Harry Potter," Sirius told her, tugging Harry's hat off and watching her as her eyes immediately flickered towards his scar and then widened in understanding.

"Oh, yes! I see. Probably wise to keep his identity under wraps in here. Everyone is quite fascinated with The Boy Who Lived."

Sirius nodded, moving to hold Harry's hand. "Exactly. Listen, Castellanos, Thea, I'm in the midst of gaining custody over Harry, my godson. I recently took him from his aunt and uncle's house and they mistreated him. I just want to make sure that everything's okay."

Castellanos smiled warmly at him. "Of course. First things first, he needs to take off his shirt."

Harry immediately wrapped his arms around himself.

Sirius smiled and took a seat on the table next to Harry. "Prongslet, remember that she's not going to hurt you. I'm going to be here the whole time." He tugged his arms away from his body. "Healer Castellanos needs to see your back."

Harry shook his head. "I'm not supposed to tell!"

"Shh, you can tell her like you told me. It's okay, I promise. You're safe, Harry."

Harry's eyes stayed on his as Sirius gently lifted the tee shirt over his head. He trembled as Sirius helped him stand up so that the healer could look at his back. Sirius held the little boy's waist, his eyes on his the whole time, leaning in to kiss Harry's nose and making him giggle.

"Madam Pomfrey of Hogwarts gave me a salve. I put it on two nights ago and have been giving him this healing potion every twelve hours since," Sirius told her, still holding onto Harry gently while Castellanos looked at his godson's back. "He took the last dose before bed last night; three times all together."

Castellanos leaned forward, her wand out, gently tracing the lines of the welts. A warm golden glow emitted from her wand as they went over each welt, healing them into soft pink lines. Harry's hand squeezed Sirius', but he didn't make a sound. "The salve was good; it worked on getting any infection out, which has allowed for me to heal the welts. I'm going to give you a cream to rub over the pink lines and it will greatly reduce the scarring. Hopefully all of it, but one can never be a hundred percent on these things."

She had Harry sit back down and she listened to his heart; checked his throat and inside his ears and had him stretch his arms up high over his head. She measured his height and his weight and checked his reflexes. She used her wand to do a full diagnostic scan of his body. She told Harry to put his shirt back on when she finished the scan.

As Sirius helped him with his tee shirt, Castellanos made notes on his chart.

"So?" Sirius asked, tucking his hair behind his ear.

Castellanos smiled at him. "He's a very brave little boy, Mr Black. A bit malnourished. I don't like seeing the outline of a child's ribs like that, but I'm sure that you will remedy that?" At his nod, she continued. "I have that cream for you and I'd like you to get him started on a regiment of vitamins and protein. My receptionist can give you the paperwork. He needs to have three well-balanced meals a day full of vegetables, fruit, calcium and protein."

Sirius nodded. "No problem." He held his arms out to Harry and Harry wrapped his arms around his neck, snuggling in comfortably and making Sirius sigh. He was trusting him now and he found that it was a huge relief.

"But I think after seeing the damage of those welts on his back and the way that he seems to be frightened of touch, I think getting a child therapist healer is a good idea. There are some great Mind Healers here at St Mungo's, but I can recommend a few private clinics as well if you'd prefer it."

"He doesn't need a shrink," Sirius said stubbornly, his arms holding Harry. "I've been just picking him up and holding him and he's learned that he can trust me. He's not as afraid he … he craves affection."

"Which is a great thing," Castellanos told him. "Whatever you're doing with him is working, I can see that he trusts you quite a bit already. But sometimes there's more emotional damage that you might not realize and maybe getting him to open up about it might help. Have you asked him how he got the welts on his back and his legs?"

Sirius shook his head. "He was too scared when I first saw them. It took everything I had to get him to stay in the bathtub."

"Ask him." She handed him the prescription paper and smiled. "Come back in a month so I can check his progress and do another diagnostic scan."

Sirius nodded. "Thank you."

Castellanos smiled warmly. "You're very welcome."

The door closed behind her and Sirius smiled at Harry. "Harry, you did very well. You were such a good boy for the healer. How about some ice cream as a treat?"

Harry smiled as Sirius placed the hat back on his head and nodded. "Okay."