Hello again, folks! No, I don't actually say folks, but why not? Welcome to the fifth chapter of A Sirius Glitch! Reviews welcome, ideas even more so. Yes, I'm writing Tonks as Tonks because if not she would murder me. And also, Tonks would totally listen to punk rock. Fight me.
Tonks walked easily through the forest, sporting her usual bubblegum pink hair and heart-shaped face, humming along to the charmed makeshift earbuds she was wearing.
"Hey ho, let's go! Hey ho, let's go! Hey ho, let's go! Hey ho, let's go! They're forming in straight line. They're going through a tight wind. The kids are losing their minds. The blitzkrieg bop."
After a few minutes of walking, only occasionally stumbling over a tree root or rock, Tonks froze as she heard rustling. Turning off the song, she whipped out her wand, automatically morphing into a sturdier, larger figure with a tall stature and thick build. It did contrast quite hilariously with her bright pink hair.
She waited silently, then jumped back, stumbling and almost falling, as she saw a long-haired man with silvery eyes and aristocratic features… no, there was no way it was-
"Sirius!"
"The one and only. Oh, wait, shit, you're not supposed to see me. HARRY!"
Tonks held out her wand threateningly, "You can't be Sirius. He died. Who are you?"
Sirius rolled his eyes, "I'll humor you. I'm Sirius Orion Black the third, my Animagus is a dog, I was falsely imprisoned in Azkaban for twelve years and I was not the Potters' Secret Keeper." He switched briefly to Padfoot and back for show.
"Sirius!" A boy with familiar green eyes and messy black hair emerged, "You shouldn't be telling her that!"
"Oh, right, you didn't hear any of that." Sirius grinned sheepishly. Tonks frowned. Harry looked much older than when she'd last seen him, more filled out and with a new confidence.
Harry smacked the back of Sirius's head, "Shut it! You're making it so much worse!" He groaned, "I'm sorry, Tonks. Just trust me?"
"And if I do?"
"You'll follow me." With that, he began to stride swiftly down a narrow path, Padfoot trotting at his heels.
Curiosity swiftly won her over and Tonks followed him, somewhat wary but needing to know more. They walked for about five minutes in silence, brushing aside branches blocking their path, and in Tonks's case falling over them. Finally, they arrived at a small, cosy cottage nestled into a clearing.
Sirius smoothly transformed midstride, from four legs to two, and immediately started talking, "Home sweet home. Kinda tiny, thanks Harry, it's not like you're crazy rich or anything, but here we are."
Harry rolled his eyes, "The smaller the house is the easier it is to hide. If we had a bloody mansion everyone would find us."
"I'm not asking for a mansion, just something with decent room! It's already chilly, but when winter actually hits we'll freeze to death if we wanna go outside, and then we'll be cramped inside!"
"Just be happy you have a house, Mr. 'I've done my waiting, twelve years of it in Azkaban!'. We could be living in a tent!"
"Ungrateful little brat. I gave you a broom, an owl, I saved you from that rat, let you stay in my house and I looked cool riding a hippogriff. And this is how you repay me!"
"You're so dramatic, honestly, how anybody dealt with you for extended periods of time is beyond me.
"Well, I guess you'll find out for yourself, seeing as we'll be here for a while-"
Tonks cleared her throat awkwardly.
Harry looked forward from where he'd been about to retort, looking slightly abashed, "Oh, yeah, sorry, come inside. Feel free to lock Sirius out while you're at it."
"You spent too much time with Remus, he's always mean to me like that." Sirius grumbled, sticking out his foot and tripping Harry to beat him inside.
Tonks subtly cast a few detection charms, and finding nothing nefarious, cautiously stepped inside.
Harry stood up, glaring at Sirius, who had innocently sprawled on an armchair and offered Tonks a seat which she politely declined, "So, you probably have a lot of questions, Tonks."
"Yeah, you would think, seeing as you're supposed to be dead," she pointed at Sirius, "And you're supposed to be fifteen." she gestured at Harry.
"So…. I may or may not have gone back in time from two years from now, and saved Sirius's life, who, by the way, is very ungrateful- don't stick your tongue out at me, Sirius, you're almost 37." Harry grinned sheepishly.
"So… what happened that made you go back and get Sirius?"
Harry opened his mouth but was cut off, "Thing is, cuz, we can't tell you. Messing with the timeline and all that."
Tonks rolled her eyes, "Surely you can tell me. I'm an Auror."
"Well, you're involved in it as well, so, no, we can't. Why do you think I made it look like Sirius died anyway?" Harry shook his head apologetically.
"I am IMMORTAL!" Sirius cackled, throwing his head back dramatically.
Harry huffed exasperatedly at him, "Shush."
Tonks frowned in thought. So, Sirius was alive, something big happened in the future, and she was supposed to tell anyone.
Suddenly, Sirius glared at Tonks, "You! You were eyeing my boyfriend up! What happened when I died! Harry, you need to keep me updated!"
Tonks blinked, taken aback, before she shot back, "Sue me, he's hot! And I don't bloody know, because now I know you aren't bloody dead!"
"He's also ten years older than you!"
"And you're my second cousin, the point is?"
"Guys, chill! Tonks, you asked Remus out but he rejected you and you guys were still friends. Happy?" Harry interrupted.
Sirius smirked, "Very."
"Well, at least I know it's definitely Sirius. Nobody else can be that infuriating." Tonks flipped her cousin off.
Sirius grinned smugly and leaned back like a satisfied cat.
"Be polite." Harry scolded, kicking his shin.
"That's a lot to ask."
"Don't I know it. Anyway, point is, Tonks, you cannot tell anyone about this."
Tonks bit her lip softly, "Remus is just so… sad. He looks like he doesn't even want to be here anymore. I…. I just want to stop it if I can."
Harry put a soft hand on Sirius's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze, leaning to murmur in his ear, "Hey, think about how happy he'll be when he sees you. He probably won't leave you alone for weeks."
Sirius smiled weakly, but was clearly still feeling guilty, "Yeah…. Please, Tonks, don't tell anyone."
Even though there was definitely a right choice and a wrong choice here, with the secrets and grief, Tonks found herself sighing and nodding, "Fine, I won't."
"Oh joy. Does this mean you'll be around a lot?"
Harry shoved him before Tonks could answer, rolling his eyes, "I hope so, you're terrible company."
"Well, apparently it's not my choice anymore." Tonks laughed, bubbly personality making a reappearance.
"No, but seriously, I need more company than an overgrown child with mood swings."
Sirius smacked his head, huffing, "And I need someone besides an angsty teenager."
"Hey!"
"You're sooooo angsty, 'I miss Ron, I miss Hermione, I miss being able to show my face'" he made his voice higher to imitate Harry, "Ha, as if you have anything on me in not showing your face."
Harry said in offense, squeaking and ducking as Sirius aggressively ruffled his hair, "I do not sound like that! And you can turn into a dog, not fair!"
"Well, seeing as it's the reason I'm alive, I'm sure you can let it go."
"Maybe. I'll have to think about it. What do you think, Tonks?"
Tonks rubbed her now stubbly chin, pretending to think hard, "Well, he is my coolest family member…."
"Thank you! At least somebody appreciates me!" Sirius grinned.
"Don't get too cocky, it was either you or my parents, so." She laughed.
"I think I like having you around." The Potter chuckled.
Sirius pouted, "Oi! Maybe I will too if you start aiming those cruel remarks at my godson instead."
"You're a terrible godfather."
"Yes, I love you too, Bambi."
"Don't call me Bambi!"
"Alright, Bambi." Sirius and Tonks said in unison.
Sirius grinned at his pink-haired cousin, "We're definitely keeping you around."
"As if you had a choice."
"Technically we could have Obiliviated you…." Harry pointed out.
Tonks outright laughed, "You seem to forget Moody's my mentor. I checked your house for curses, and temporarily disabled your wands."
Harry gasped and tried to disarm her, looking offended when his wand didn't even spark, "Hey!"
Sirius smirked, "I could've turned into Padfoot and bit you."
"Yeah, well, I knew you were Sirius so I wasn't exactly terrified. I also could've stunned you."
"Touché."
"Or basic defensive tactics.
"Both work."
"Stop flirting with your cousin, and get over here, you must be starved." Harry interrupted, ignoring their gags as he pulled some leftovers out of the cabinet, which he had charmed into a makeshift refrigerator. Setting the soup down, he beckoned her over, rolling his eyes at Sirius, who scrambled eagerly over, despite already having eaten.
"Ridiculous, you are." Harry snorted, dishing out a bowl.
"But you're such a cute little housewife, serving up the food you slaved over." Sirius cooed, ruffling his hair teasingly.
Harry slapped him, "No food for you. Oh no, don't you dare- ughhh, Sirius!"
Sirius was now Padfoot, giving Remus his award winning puppy-dog eyes, wide and pleading."
"Fine, here." Harry huffed, giving in. Sirius transformed with a smirk and took the offered bowl, settling into a chair next to Tonks, who was watching with amusement.
"I've never been one to sit quietly and let others talk, but you guys are just plain hilarious." Tonks remarked absently, eyes drifting between as the bickered.
"I am the responsible adult in this situation." Sirius said, suddenly upright and prim, all stern features and disdainful expressions.
"As if."
"Yeah, sure."
Harry and Tonks spoke at the same time, then looked at each other and laughed. Sirius huffed, offended. Hiding a smile, Tonks thought, It really is so… peaceful here. They're safe, everything's fine. It's so happy, cheerful. It hasn't been like that since Sirius… well, not really, but since he died. He was always upbeat, cheering everyone up, because if someone who was in Azkaban for twelve years with the dementors could be happy, so could they. And now that he's gone…
Debating with herself for a moment, then puffing out a breath, she turned to them, her face lost of all playfulness, "I have an offer for you."
"A new godson for half off?" Sirius joked, then fell silent as he caught her expression, "What is it, then?"
"Well… what would you say to a new place for you to stay at? It would be safe and secure, nobody but you two and I could get in and out, you could keep a better eye on what's happening, and you'd have more space."
Silence followed her propositions, shock filling the room and giving an eerie feel.
"I…. I don't know." Harry said softly.
They'd been through so much here in a few short months. It was the only place that had felt like home to Harry since Hogwarts. Possibly the adult he loved most in the world with him, helping heal the mental scars that had finally caught up to him. Harry wasn't sure if he was ready to leave, and by the looks of it, Sirius was having a similar dilemma. Though, logically, Harry knew it'd only been a few months, and he really shouldn't be so attached to a little cabin in the woods, his mind rebelled ferociously, shouting above reason with vicious determination.
It was crazy, but this felt like home, and Harry wouldn't give it up easily, not without good reason. This was where he confronted his lingering grief for his long-lost parents, where Sirius had woken up, safe and alive, and where Harry had gained a family.
Sirius frowned, following the same train of thought as Harry. He'd got to get to know Harry, find out so many of his godson's little quirks, like that he absolutely adored mornings, and was a sucker for old jazz, and hated country music. How he refused to eat bacon that was too greasy, shuddering and muttering something about pigs in wigs. And the fact that he had a specific expression that meant he was about to do something he'd probably regret later, something Sirius, even as a grown adult, related to immensely.
All of that he'd learned here, in this little cottage, with the wide widows that let sunlight stream in, the dusty wooden floors, the creaky old beds. He'd let go of the grief, and he'd seen Remus roam the woods here. He couldn't just leave.
Harry didn't move as Tonks silently left, too caught up in a whirlwind of opposing thoughts.
Maybe it was a good idea. Sure, his emotions were pulling him to stay, but logic finally spoke, stating it wasn't the most secure location, and didn't guarantee them security. Someone could realize they were here if they looked, stake outside, wait until they had to leave or starve.
Sirius was having similar doubts, mainly about needing to keep his godchild safe. He met Harry's fierce emerald gaze and nodded.
They had made their decision.
((Tonks offers them a more secure place to stay))