- First I would like to respond to a few reviews. I really appreciate the feedback and would love to hear more! It's been noted a few times that Harry began to trust Remus and Sirius extremely quickly, especially after facing abuse. I agree that I might have made him trust too fast, but at the same time, I think it was appropriate timing. I think Harry craves to know more about his parents, to be close to them in some way, and I think Sirius and Remus give that to him. For me, it's logical to Harry to trust them quickly for that reason. Plus, Harry realized that night in the Shrieking Shack how devoted Sirius was to both him and his parents, as well as the fact that he was appointed by Harry's parents to look after him. Also, Remus was Harry's teacher for a year and showed him how to defend himself against his worst fear, the dementors. It's logical that he already trusts Remus in my mind, despite the abuse he endures.
I also agree that I might not be including enough of Remus in this, but a part of me doesn't want to. I like Remus's character in the books a lot, but Sirius has always been my favorite. Also Sirius has an undying devotion to the Potter's, as mentioned above, and I think it makes sense that Harry seeks him out for comfort. Remus obviously cares about Harry a lot as well, but I think he's more reserved due to his condition.
I do have a few concerns of my own. I want to make Sirius more of a caring guardian for Harry, but I know Rowling didn't necessarily mean for him to be this way. Sirius isn't exactly a touchy-feely type, as seen throughout the books. Although I do like the books better personally, I think of the Sirius in this story as more of the movie Sirius and not the book Sirius. So I guess keep all of that in mind while reading.
One last quick note: I think this chapter is shorter than my other's, though I haven't checked the word count. I just wasn't as inspired when writing this bit, but I feel it's important to the chronological order of the story, as well as an important occurrence in general. I have big plans for this story and I don't plan to give up, so please review and stick with it! Thanks!
The morning of the trial came faster than anybody in the Marauder Mansion (as Sirius affectionately coined their country house) had wanted. Harry sat in his chair that morning, poking at his eggs and thinking about the best way to avoid the Dursley's all together during the trial. Maybe he wouldn't be called up as a witness? Harry knew that was unlikely, but it did calm his nerves slightly. Nobody had said that he had to say anything at the trial yet, he had supplied his testimony to his godfather and other partial-guardian, so that very well could be enough.
"Eat puppy," Sirius said in an uncharacteristically strict manner. Despite this, he walked up behind Harry's chair and gently grasped his shoulders in a reassuring way. Sirius knew his godson was nervous, but he wasn't doing him any favors if he let him skip meals. Harry was still far too small for a fourteen year old, and Sirius planned to fix that.
Harry nodded and attempted to eat his now cold eggs. He made a face and Sirius chuckled before pointing his wand at the plate and heating the eggs up again. "This time, eat them while they're warm." He said gently before letting go of Harry's shoulders and moving to sit down beside him.
Harry again attempted to eat. He had finished a little over half of the plate before a sickening wave of nausea overtook him and he rushed to the first floor bathroom. Sirius, realizing what was happening, followed Harry into the bathroom and kneeled down beside his godson. He rubbed Harry's back gently and grimaced when he discovered just how bad Harry's nerves were for the day ahead.
"Harry, it's going to be okay. Do you hear me? The only reason this trial is happening is just to confirm what they did to you, there's no way you'll ever go back to them. They can't hurt you, and I'll be there if they try." Sirius said soothingly, feeling a pang in his chest when he noticed the fearful expression on his godson's face.
"I'll be there too, Harry. They won't get away with this," Remus said, stepping into the bathroom. Sirius gave him an appreciative smile then looked back to Harry.
"Alright, kiddo?" Sirius said gently. Harry nodded slowly and attempted to stand up. Remus placed his hands under his arms and helped him up, then walked him back to the kitchen. Sirius followed closely behind with a warm, damp rag. He ran it across his godson's face when they got back to the table, cleaning up the sick on his clothes with a flick of his wand.
"Don't make me eat anymore, please," Harry whispered, looking up into Sirius and Remus's faces. They nodded their heads in understanding, then went to scrape at their own plates. The three retired from the kitchen soon after and left to get cleaned up for the impending trial at noon.
The trio apparated to a dark alleyway near the courthouse, then walked up to the building in London. Harry did his best to keep a straight face; it was one thing to let Sirius and Remus see how distraught he was, but in public he had a reputation to keep up. He could see the Daily Prophet: "Boy-Who-Lived Found Cowering in Front of Muggle." It was humiliating, and this in itself was enough to keep Harry from showing any emotion as they approached the large building.
When they got inside, they were escorted into a side room off of the room in which the trial would be taking place. They were told that someone would be in to explain the proceedings soon. Harry looked down at the floor, scared to meet his guardian's concerned eyes. He went through his mantra in his head, over and over again: you are Harry Potter. You defeated Voldemort before you could walk. You fought Voldemort at age eleven, killed a Basilisk, and warded off hundreds of dementors with a corporeal patronus. You can face your uncle. You can do it.
The words, no matter how hard he tried, did not help his nerves. He was brave, and he knew that; the sorting hat clearly saw that characteristic in him as well, and his godfather reminded him of it constantly. He had tested fate thousands of times, and yet here he was, wanting to run from an over sized man with nothing dangerous about him but a death-grip. No, there was something else to it; Harry wouldn't be so nervous if Uncle Vernon was like the other monster's he had faced. But what was it? Vernon had no magical capabilities, no animal instincts… and yet…
Then it hit Harry. The reason he was so scared of his uncle wasn't because he was necessarily more dangerous than the other beasts he had come into contact with; no, it was because Harry had trusted him to keep him alive. After all, that's why Dumbledore kept him there, made him deal with their cruelty all of those years. He didn't expect much from his aunt and uncle, but the one hope he had clung to while he was there, was that he would survive to see another day. Harry almost smiled at his revelation; it had nothing to do with his bravery, or how strong he actually was, it was just that he had trusted this man to let him live and Vernon had broken that trust. Despite realizing this, the anxiety hit him again full force. He really didn't want to see him again.
Sirius noticed this, and put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "What is it?"
Harry shrugged, "Just nerves I guess." Sirius didn't believe him, but before he could voice his concern, a lady walked in to speak with them about the trial. She introduced herself as the solicitor, Katherine Michaels and gave Sirius a particularly warm smile when she shook his hand. This wasn't surprising to Harry, and he fleetingly thought about all the women that would be head over heels for Sirius if it had not been for his prolonged stay in Azkaban; regardless, he still maintained his good looks and charm, and it was this that seemed to be wooing the solicitor.
"Right," Katherine mumbled after releasing Sirius's hand. "Are you ready, Harry?"
"What exactly will I be doing?" Harry asked, curious as to whether or not he would need to face his uncle.
"We need you to give a testament under oath to the court," Katherine said simply, twirling her chestnut brown hair when she noticed Sirius listening to her.
Harry visibly tensed at this, and what little attention Sirius had given the solicitor was turned entirely to his godson. He put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. When Harry didn't respond, Sirius said his name firmly, willing him to meet his eyes. After a few moments hesitation, Harry obliged and green met gray. "You're going to be fine. We'll be in this room waiting. You know I would do it for you if I could... hell, I would change your entire past and take all of your pain myself if I could. But I can't, and this will help you."
Harry nodded his understanding but looked back down at the floor. Katherine stared at the two for a moment, clearly not expecting Sirius's reaction. "Right," she said again, trying to get the man's attention more so than the boy's. "As your father said, it will be okay. I'll come back when it's time for you to give your testament. Until then, wait here." Then she quickly walked out to what they assumed was the start of the trial.
Sirius froze at being called Harry's father, but Harry smiled. After realizing why he was so afraid of his uncle and hearing Sirius's support, he felt slightly more comfortable with the situation. "Well, pops, I guess you're going to have to keep me company until then." Harry said, nudging Sirius.
Sirius smiled and pushed Harry back. "Did you just call me pops? Of all names? I'm far too young and handsome to be called 'pops'" Harry laughed and again attempted to push at Sirius. Relief swept through Sirius when he saw that his godson had relaxed considerably since that morning. Instead of retaliating, he threw an arm around Harry and pulled him into a headlock. Remus chuckled at their antics, then playfully scolded Sirius for messing up Harry's hair.
"Because it looked so great before…" Sirius said cheekily, earning a smack on the chest from Harry.
The three of them continued on like that, Sirius and Remus desperately attempting to keep Harry's mind from the trial as long as possible. Despite this, they knew they could not hold off forever, and Katherine had soon returned to the room to collect Harry.
Sirius stood up as Harry did and clapped him on the shoulder. "You'll do fine, and then once it's over we'll get the hell out of here."
"Sirius," Remus warned before turning to Harry himself and flattening his bangs. "Just tell them the truth and you'll never have to worry about the Dursley's again."
Harry nodded, his anxiety from the morning returning to him. He walked behind Katherine out into the courtroom, where he came face to face with his beefy uncle. He sat in the witness stand, swore on oath to tell the truth, then took a deep breath. He wasn't exactly sure where to begin; people typically seemed horrified with the idea of his cupboard, but Harry didn't know whether mentioning that would be meaningful enough for the evidence.
After a few moments deliberation, he began to speak, starting with his earliest memories of neglect, including the cupboard, and ending with this past summer. He could feel his uncle's glare, but whenever he started to feel afraid he thought of Sirius, Remus, his friends, and his new home. He just had to get out of the courthouse and he would never have to deal with this again.
"Vernon Dursley, you are hereby sentenced to ten years in state prison for physically and verbally abusing a minor. Petunia Dursley, you are sentenced to three years in state prison for assitance of said abuse. Case dismissed."
Harry was shocked; of course, he knew that the Dursley's couldn't get away with their behavior, and yet it almost seemed to good to be true. He had wanted someone to take him away from there for as long as he could remember, and now, it had finally happened. He turned to Sirius and Remus, both of which were beaming down at him. "See, Harry? I told you everything would be alright." Sirius said, ruffling his hair.
"Is that an 'I told you so?'" Harry asked, smiling back at him.
"It might be, and as your 'pops,' I have every right to say it to you." Sirius said, looking slightly prideful. Harry laughed at the nickname and grabbed his godfather's arm as they turned to disapparate back to the Marauder's Mansion for what looked like a fantastic end to the summer holiday.
