Sirius still hadn't budged.
The paramedics rushed around him; one was asking him questions. What he was saying, Harry didn't know. "Will Sirius be alright?" He asked, finally paying attention.
"We think so. He has alcohol poisoning, but he'll live." The man's answer did give Harry little comfort, as Sirius and himself were loaded into the ambulance.
hr
Harry wasn't allowed in to see Sirius. It had been a day and Harry had stayed in the hospital overnight. The nurses were seeing about contacting... someone. Harry had no idea who.
They said Harry had to be removed from his custody. A social worker was being called. And his psychiatrist. The social worker said it was best that he have some one to talk to after such a 'traumatizing event'.
Harry wanted to see Sirius. He needed to see that his god-father, the one who actually cared for him, was all right. Harry didn't need his doctor.
However his opinion was asked for, so Harry didn't give it, after being denied the right to see Sirius.
Dr. Atrum found Harry half sleep in the waiting room. He shook Harry gently, to get his attention and ignored the glare that was subsequently directed at him.
It was a good thing they called him, as the doctor knew they would. Miss Umbridge, the social worker assigned to Harry, had done the right thing.
"Harry, are you all right?" Christopher asked, sitting beside Harry.
"Don't call me that." Harry didn't know why, but he hated it when Dr. Atrum called him Harry. It didn't affect him when most other people used his name.
"Harry, I been your doctor for a while now. Don't you think it's about time you at least let me use your name?" The doctor seemed genuinely puzzled.
Harry had been about to answer when he heard a little cough coming from the door. It was a stout woman in a pink business suit.
"Hello, Harry. I see that Mr. Atrum was able to find you." The short woman took a seat across from them. Harry didn't like how she used his name either. "Now Harry, as you may know, I'm your social worker, Miss Delores Umbridge."
/Social worker?/ Harry had honestly never knew he had one. "I didn't know I had one."
"Of course you wouldn't need to know! As long as you are taken care off." She exclaimed, as if it was obvious.
"I would have liked to know." Harry said, but was ignored.
"Now I'm here to see about your placement, as it is obvious your... godfather, is a poor candidate. I wasn't sure about that convict from the beginning. But no worries, you are safe now." Umbridge said smiling.
"I don't want to live with anyone else. I want to stay with Sirius." Harry's voice rose as he said this. /Convict?/
Umbridge looked surprised, than quickly pasted a smile back on. "Oh my dear boy! But surely you are traumatized. Don't you agree, Dr. Atrum." It was clear the man knew no better than to just nod. Harry's feelings of dislike for the doctor sharply increased. She was trying to take him away from Sirius and he wasn't doing anything to stop her! Even Harry knew he was... getting better, living with Sirius. Surely the doctor could tell Harry needed him!
"I need to see Sirius!" Harry exclaimed, rising to his feet.
"I'm sorry but that isn't possible. I have come to retrieve you. I have found a new orphanage for you, New Madison has been deemed unacceptable. Dumbldore should have know better. Really, a murderer like Sirius Black. It is clear the old man is... severely mentally handicapped. I am glad to say he has been relieved and New Madison has been shut down."
Was this really supposed to make Harry feel better! He knew that Dumbldore loved running the orphanage, that he love the children! He was removed over one mistake. /Sirius was a murder?/ It was finally starting to sink in. Dumbldore threatening to call the police on him if he talked to Harry without permission. The officer knowing of Sirius when Harry 'ran away'. Sirius' depression.
But Harry still didn't think Sirius was a bad person. And he must have served his time if Dumbldore allowed Sirius to adopt him.
"Can I at least say goodbye?" Harry glared at her, still standing.
"I don't think-"
"Maybe it would be for the best." Dr. Atrum spoke up. Umbridge stared at him, affronted that he would go against her, before finally agreeing.
"Maybe, but it will have to be supervised. The man is a killer, you must remember." The obnoxiously cheerful woman chided him.
/I'll find out that for myself./ "I want to see him immediately." Now that the excitement was over, Harry seemed to revert, talking more quietly.
"I'll talk to his doctor." Mr. Atrum quickly spoke up, leaving the room.
To Harry's relief, Umbridge left as well, saying she would be back when plans were finalized. He had no idea what plans she meant.
Both Christopher and the doctor arrived around ten minutes later to escort Harry.
All of Harry's fear started to come back during the walk to Sirius' room. Was Sirius really all right? He had looked almost dead the last time Harry Saw him.
The one question Harry was avoiding was why Sirius did it.
His godfather was barely awake when Harry entered the room. The Doctors were thankfully watching from outside the room.
"Harry?" Instantly, Harry moved over to his side. "Are you there."
"Yes, Sirius." He stared sadly at the broken man.
"They're taking you away, aren't they. Because I messed up." Harry knew he didn't need to answer, but he nodded anyway.
Sirius' eyes closed for a moment and they both were still.
"I almost did myself in this time, Harry."
"I know."
"I'm sorry. I was weak."
"The social worker said you killed someone." Harry had to know.
"Yeah, I did."
Harry took a step back, shocked that Sirius' would admit to murder that easily.
"I was drunk. Stupid and drunk." Sirius laughed to himself. "I'm gay, did you know that Harry? Does that bother you?" Sirius did want an answer.
Harry did think about it, but no. Sirius was still Sirius. "No."
"I didn't think it would. You're not like that. You know, I've never told anyone entirely what happened, Harry. Not even that god forsaken psychiatrist the court made me see. But I suppose, if I tell anyone it should be you. Your dad didn't like it. When I told him, about me and Remus."
While Sirius would often tell Harry about his parents, usually when he couldn't sleep, this was the first time he had ever mentioned Remus.
"He was a friend of ours. We grew up together, went to school together. Remus was always picked on as a kid; he was disfigured. He was the victim of a dog attack, a rottweiler that his step-father own. He was a cruel man and made Remus feed it. One day the dog just snapped and... This was before James and I met him."
"Damn it, those kids were so cruel to him, not that we had been that much different; Lily constantly told us to just leave him alone. I was especially cruel. I suppose I taunted him the most, was the most harsh. I thought it was just good fun. Then I learned better. James had Lily to make him leave Remus alone. Even then, Lily had a hold on him." Sirius smiled to himself. Harry himself, was absorbed in the story.
"One day, I just really looked at Remus. I don't know why, but I just stared at him and wondered what I was doing to him. I surprised the both of us and kissed him. I didn't even think I was gay, and I kissed him. Remus did push me away, of course. He thought I was still taunting him; but I couldn't have known. Only, the think was, I liked kissing him. So I would corner him, snog the life out him and leave. I suppose it wasn't the nicest thing, but I had no idea what else to do. I did finally get up the confidence to ask him out. I'm pretty sure Remus only said yes out of fear of what I would do if I didn't."
Sirius turned to Harry; his eyes were full of regret. "Remus and you are a lot alike, unfortunately. He was often afraid of the people around him. I told James I was befriending Remus; I think even he thought I had an ulterior motive. But I didn't. It took a while for even Remus to believe me; it took until I feel in love with him. I asked him to live with me after school. I half expected Remus to say no; I hadn't told him I loved him. But he said yes.
"That was when I told James, everything. After, he couldn't believe ever I meant to honorable to Remus. He wanted nothing more to do with me I if was using him. I don't known what he told Lily, but she went with him and I haven't seen them since. I wasn't playing with Remus. We moved in together, got jobs, or rather he got a job and I went back to school. He was a police officer. Remus wanted to help people. He was the best. The officers were just like the kids at school at first, but Remus proved himself. Being disfigured didn't stop him from working; he just wasn't the prettiest thing around.
"But one day my eyes wondered. Remus always thought they would. I had been with Remus for years at that point. I wondered if I had settled down to soon. I had accepted that I liked men, but did I really want spend the rest of my life with Remus? I cheated on him. I went to a bar, found a good looking guy. I slept with him. He only wanted a one night stand and I felt awful afterwards for doing it. But what I felt was nothing compared to what Remus felt after he found out. Turns out the asshole I slept with was dating a guy in Remus' precinct. They had an... open relationship.
"Remus never told me, but I knew I was caught. He acted like it never happened and like coward I was, I never admitted it. That was when I first started drinking. Remus hated it, but he never said a think.
"Then Remus took the type of case he promised never would. He went undercover on a drug bust. I hadn't seen him for two weeks when I was told Remus was dead. That he had jumped in front of a bullet."
Tears had formed in both Harry's and Sirius' eyes at this point; The desperation Sirius had felt then hadn't faded any. "I never told him I loved him."
"I went to a bar and got drunk off my ass first thing. The bar tender tried to take my keys, but I wouldn't let him. I thought I could drive. I didn't make it one mile before I got into trouble. I was driving fine at first but the I felt a bump, thought I had hit a dog, So I pulled over got out. I heard a woman screaming on the side of rode; I guess she called the police. I thought she was overreacting, all of that over a dog. I went to get it out of the road, didn't want anyone else to run over it. Only, it wasn't a dog. It was a boy."
Sirius looked again to Harry. "I was charged with vehicular manslaughter and sent to jail for three years."
"His name was Cedric Diggory."