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Chapter 83
Feeling too weak to apparate the distance to James' house, Sirius decided to flag down the Knight Bus and contact James once he was on his way. It wasn't long before he arrived on the doorstep of his adopted brother's house. He had only been here once before, but he still couldn't help but be impressed.
His family house was dark and unwelcoming, even from the outside. And it had always appeared cramped to Sirius, though maybe that was because the exterior belied the true extent of the floor-plan inside. But in contrast, even at this late-night hour, the porch light was on and the Potter house felt inviting.
Sirius was just about to ring the doorbell when the front door opened and James stood on the other side, beaming. James immediately wrapped his friend in a brotherly embrace.
Sirius hissed at the jostling, his body still not recovered from the Cruciatus curse.
"What?" James asked, suddenly pulling back and looking very concerned. "What is it?"
Sirius smirked. "May I come in?"
"Of course," James jumped aside. Once Sirius was in the door, he asked again, not willing to let it go. He had learned over the years that Sirius needed to be nagged to get him to open up, especially when it was something that really bothered him. "So? What is it?"
"Why, hello, Prongs. So good to see you, too," Sirius continued to smile as he looked around the house, so different from the one from which he had just come.
"Pads," James sighed. "It's good to see you. Come on. Let's get you settled for the night."
"Where are your parents?"
"Uh… sleeping. It is nearly one thirty in the morning."
"Right." Sirius followed James up the stairs and to the guest bedroom, where he allowed his trunk to slip from his grasp, and land with a muffled thud onto the floor.
James sat down on the guest bed and backed up, so his back was leaning against the wall. "So? – I ask again."
"Prongs, I'm tired. Can we do this in the morning?"
"No. You woke me up – from a very lovely dream about Evans, I might add – interrupting my bliss to tell me you're coming tonight – not that I mind you being here," James added before Sirius could even suggest leaving. "Then you tell me you're on your way, only to arrive an hour and a half later by Knight Bus – and I know how much you love to apparate. This all tells me that things aren't going well. So spill."
Sirius frowned at James. "You've been spending too much time with Moony, Prongs."
"Whatever. Stop stalling."
Sirius sat next to his friend – shoulder to shoulder. Sirius smiled sadly, lowering his head so his hair conveniently shielded his face from James. "Well, let's see. I got into an argument with my idiot brother. I'm pretty sure I insulted one of the head Auror's – making my chances of being accepted into the program near nil. Oh, yeah, and on top of her usual tirade about what a waste of space I am, my mother used two Unforgivable curses on me in the course of one day."
James gasped. "Sirius…"
Lifting his head so he could look out of the window across the room, Sirius said, "It doesn't matter now. I don't live there anymore."
"Okay," James said quietly. He'd gotten what he needed to know from Sirius. And he was right, it didn't matter any more. James stood and walked to the door. Pausing, he looked back at Sirius, who had gotten up and opened his trunk, looking for night clothes. "Welcome home," James grinned.
Sirius looked around the room and nodded; then, looking at James, he smiled back. "Thanks."
The next morning Sirius awoke to the smell of pancake syrup and cooked sausage. He stretched, yawned, scratched his head, and padded down to the kitchen and toward the smell of the food. He was still feeling stiff from the night before but, otherwise, felt good. Content, even.
Mrs. Potter had her back to the kitchen door when he entered. When she turned, she startled at the sight of the teen. "Oh! Dear boy. I wasn't expecting to see you. When did you arrive?" She hurried over to embrace her second son.
Grinning, Sirius answered, "Last night, mum." He held onto her, reveling in the feeling of warm acceptance and love. "Sorry to have startled you."
"Nonsense. Breakfast is just about ready. Would you be a dear and wake up your brother?"
Sirius nodded, unable to wipe the grin off of his face. He headed back up the stairs and only then realized he had no idea where James slept. As if having read his mind, Mrs. Potter suddenly called out to him, "Second door on the right, dear."
Sirius went over to the door and pounded – loudly. Within seconds, the door flung open, a disheveled and cranky-looking James standing on the other side. He groaned slightly.
"Mum sent me up to get you."
James glanced at his best friend and noticed the grin still firmly in place. The sheer genuineness of it caused James to grin back, despite the rude awaking. "Tell her I'll be down in a minute." James reached for his glasses and then headed down the hall.
Sirius figured it was to use the bathroom. The thought made him realize he had to go too, and he asked for directions to another one.
Both teens arrived at the breakfast table at about the same time, and Mr. Potter arrived just a minute later.
"Sirius." Mr. Potter extended a hand in greeting. "I wasn't expecting you this morning. What time did you get in?"
"About 1:30," James said, around a mouthful of sausage.
"Oh?" Mr. Potter prompted, looking a little concerned. He glanced from Sirius to James and then back to Sirius. "Did your 'get away' go off without a hitch?" Mr. Potter knew Sirius was planning on running away to get here, but the suddenness of his arrival made him feel that something was off.
Sirius and James exchanged looks.
"James?" Mr. Potter asked in that fatherly tone that says, "I know you're trying to hide something, so don't bother."
"His mum…" James began, but Sirius cut him off.
"'Mother,'" Sirius corrected. He never liked using the familiar 'mum' for his mother. That indicated some sort of friendly, loving relationship that he didn't have with the woman.
"His mother," James altered his wording, "used…"
Sirius interrupted again by clearing his throat. He didn't really want the Potters to know, but he figured if they were going to find out, it should come from him. "She used the cruciatus curse."
Mrs. Potter let out a soft whimper and covered her mouth before rushing over to Sirius and laying a hand on his shoulder. Mr. Potter, on the other hand, was not quiet. "What?!" he yelled furiously.
James and Sirius were both startled by the older man's response. He was far angrier than the time Sirius had tried to run away before and he ended up having a spat with Sirius' parents.
Mr. Potter arose from the table.
"Where are you going, dear?" Mrs. Potter asked.
"To contact Alastor at the ministry."
"No!" Sirius and James both called out at the same time.
"And why not?"
"It's over and done with," Sirius said. "It only happened once and I know she won't do it to Regulus. I'm not going back there and, now that I'm seventeen, they can't make me. So there's no point."
"No point? Any other person that is caught using that curse is sent immediately to Azkaban. And this woman did it to you – her son!"
"Charles," Mrs. Potter tried to quiet her husband while soothing Sirius, who she felt tense at the exchange.
Why is it that every home I try to live in, people start yelling? Sirius began to wonder if this was such a good idea. "I'm sorry," Sirius said. Everyone turned to look at him.
"For what, dear?" Mrs. Potter asked.
"I didn't mean to cause a problem. I just… She's…" Sirius struggled to put into words exactly what he was feeling.
"She's your mother," Mrs. Potter said. And instead of sounding angry, as Sirius would have expected, she simply sounded understanding. Sirius nodded. "It's all right to still care about them, dear. It's wonderful that you can." Mr. Potter threw up his arms in frustration and walked out of the kitchen.
Sirius watched him leave. He felt the need to explain further to Mrs. Potter, though. He really did think of her more as a mother than he could his own flesh and blood. "It's not so much her, but she's actually good to Regulus."
"It's all right. You don't need to explain."
"I think I made him mad," Sirius said, nodding at the door through which Mr. Potter had just gone. He had no doubt about how James and Mrs. Potter felt toward him, but he had never been on such sure footing with Mr. Potter.
"Don't worry. He just gets a little over-protective sometimes."
James snorted. "Yeah. And where do you think I get my noble sense of right and wrong? He'll cool down."
Sirius smiled slightly at James, but he still felt unsure. He excused himself from the table and headed to the room in which he'd spent the night.
He was sitting on the bed for some time when he heard a knock on the door. "Enter," he said automatically, and cringed slightly at the habit. He looked up, expecting to see James, but Mr. Potter was leaning in the doorway, frowning.
"May I come in?" Mr. Potter asked.
Sirius was surprised by the question. For one thing, his parents never asked. Of course, they seldom knocked, either. For another thing, this was his house; why would he ever ask to enter a room. "Yes sir."
Charles Potter sat on the bed next to Sirius. "Son… I want you to know I'm not going to say anything. I don't completely understand it, but I won't say anything."
Sirius nodded. "Thanks."
"However," Mr. Potter paused until Sirius was looking at him. "You are now living under my roof. That means that, like any good father, I'm going to protect my own. So if she ever does anything like that again… I will let the authorities know."
Sirius smiled at him and nodded understanding – not that his mother would ever do anything to him now that he was out of the house. Sirius was also happy because Mr. Potter had just accepted him into the family, and it didn't go unnoticed by him.
"I am also here to tell you can't stay here."
"Oh?" Sirius asked confused. "I can pay rent – I think. Once I get to my account."
"No, no," Mr. Potter chuckled. "No. I mean, you're not staying in this room. This is a guest room. You have quarters in the family wing."
Sirius smiled again. He couldn't help that the emotional roller coaster he'd been on in the last twenty-four hours left his defenses down, and his eyes started to water.
Mr. Potter reached over and pulled him into a firm, fatherly hug. After a moment, Mr. Potter whispered, "You good?"
Sirius pulled away. "Yeah." He was still grinning his contagious grin, melting Mr. Potter's concerned expression into a smile.
"Good. Now grab your things," Mr. Potter said, giving Sirius' knee a quick pat before standing.
"But daaad," Sirius did his best impression of a whiney teen – which, wasn't too much of a stretch for him.
"Oh, don't start that," Mr. Potter shivered. "James does that enough for the both of you."
As if on cue, James, said, "Daad!" in a whiney, but embarrassed, teen voice, causing both Mr. Potter and Sirius to laugh. He had heard Sirius and his father talking and appeared in the doorway as Mr. Potter made his last statement.
"Help your brother." Mr. Potter directed James toward the trunk.
James did as he was told, grumbling the whole way to Sirius' new room. Once they were in the room, James asked, "Do you want help unpacking?"
"No, I got it," Sirius answered.
"Right. Well, I'll be outside. Mum said we could go to London today. I have to stop by Gringotts first, though."
Sirius couldn't believe his ears. Life couldn't get any better than this. "Sounds good. I have to go there, too."
James left Sirius to his unpacking. When he was finished, he looked at his empty trunk, and then at the room. He was home. This was the first time his trunk had been emptied in years. For however short a time as it might be, he was home.
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A/N Short, but hopefully sweet. Thanks again for all the kindness and encouragement. And thank you m'lovelies - Mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton.