A/n: This is what I hinted about in Harry Potter, and the Emerald Eye, ever wonder what Sirius did with Harry when our favorite Boy Who Lived was a baby? Well, lets just say Harry was never bored when Sirius was around.
Disclaimer: I don't own James, Lily, or Harry Potter (if I owned him, I'd be rich!), Sirius Black (I wish with all my heart, and soul I did), Remus Lupin (I wish I had him, too), Peter Pettigrew (you can keep him! Thank you very much.), or any other characters mentioned in this story, J. K. Rowling does (I wish I was her). Anything you recognize basically isn't mine, I stole one part from HP & the Emerald Eye, but I gave myself permission. The lullaby Sirius sings isn't mine either, my friend Ashley made it up for this story for me. Thanks Ash! ::hugs::
This story is dedicated to: Tschubi-chan who asked if I would write it, I hope it lives up to your expectations.
Sirius Black was furious with himself, somehow he had, through his own stupidity, been named single-parent of the year, and had won an all expense payed trip to Hawaii, there were only two problems: one the child wasn't his son, it was his best friends' six-month old son Harry, and two his best friends had found out. In short, Sirius was forbidden to see James, or Harry until further notice, and no one wanted to double-cross Lily Potter when she was enraged.
Lily knew that Sirius loved Harry, and would never even dream of doing anything that might hurt her son. But this time he had gone to far, Sirius had pretended that Harry was his son, and his fake wife, Shaquillia, had died, and that he was working two jobs just to support him, and Orion (Harry). The girl he told this to, in order to get a date with her, happened to be the Daily Prophet reporter in charge of the Daily Prophet Single Parent of the Year Contest, and Sirius ended up winning an all expense payed trip to Hawaii. Now he had to pay the price. It had already been two weeks.
Sirius, at the moment, was sprawled out on the couch bored out of his mind. Remus was away on business, he said he was doing research for another book, since his first one, (Hairy Snout, Human Heart) had done so well. There were about five people who knew that he was the anonymous sixteen-year old author written it. And Peter, everyone knew where Peter was! The guy practical lived in his office at the Ministry. But Sirius had already been thrown out of it three times.
"Yo, Padfoot!" a familiar voice yelled from the fireplace.
"Prongs!" Sirius leapt to his feet.
"Your probation's over," James head was floating in the fireplace. "You can come over, now."
"YES!!!!" Sirius felt like dancing. "I have been so bored lately, it's not even funny."
"I have an extra ticket to the game tonight too, and I was wondering who I should take, any suggestions?" James grinned.
"I have no idea, but I don't have any plans tonight whatsoever," Sirius fell into character.
"Liar, you just want to see Harry!"
"Yep, we have been secretly planing to boycott Floo Powder, and this two week separation has really cut into our schedules," Sirius rolled his eyes. "I mean we're trying to take on a major company here! We can not have any distractions!"
"Game's at 7," James agreed.
"Okay!" Sirius nodded as James head disappeared from the fire.
At 6:30 Sirius fell face first out of the Potter's fireplace, "Argh!"
While scrambling to his feet, Sirius glared at the fireplace. He wasn't particularly fond of Floo Power, for reasons such as tumbling out of a fireplace was what some people would call undignified, Sirius thought it was completely pointless, and it was an evil scheme to sell more aspirin, because the first thing people need after falling from a fireplace onto a hard floor, and bruising their head is an aspirin! So you what you are forced to do were on the odd occasion that someone didn't have any aspirin in the house is always carry a travel bottle with you which you would have to keep refilling, so the aspirin companies would in turn sell more aspirin, make more money and take over the world. Yes, it was an evil plot! But who listened to him? Harry, of course.
Speaking of Harry, was that crying?
Sirius banished the thought the moment it entered his head, Harry never ever ever ever cried. Not even when Peter had dropped him. It had to be the Muggle television in Lily's study, amazing how realistic it sounded.
"Prongs? Lily? Harry? Anybody?" he called.
"In here, Sirius," James called back.
Sirius, puzzled, followed the sound of James voice to Harry's room.
Lily, and James were huddled around a crying Harry.
"What's wrong guys? Is Harry okay?" Sirius asked, nervously.
"He's sick, Sirius," Lily said, waving her wand around Harry's head checking his temperature.
"Oh," Sirius bit his lip.
Harry looked at Sirius, eyes pleading for help, as a golden ribbon came out of his mother's wand, his temperature was very high.
"Should I call the doctor?" James asked, his brow furrowed with worry.
"Yes, shh . . . Harry, everything will be fine baby," Lily sat down in an armchair, and rocked her son, gently. "Accio!" She summoned a basin of water, and a few washclothes, and began cooling Harry down.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Sirius said restlessly. "How about a fever reducer? Or something?"
"You're useless at potions, Sirius," Lily reminded him.
"Hey!" Sirius scowled good naturedly, then he felt horrible for being such a jerk two weeks ago when Harry had been his responsibility, and he had used the baby to get dates. I should have taken better care of him, instead I left him with some girl I found in the Floo Network book, God! I should be slapped! Sirius stroked Harry's cheek, "Harry? Look at me, buddy."
Harry looked up, slightly.
"Yeah it's me, bud," Sirius tickled Harry's cheek. Harry managed a weak smile.
"Okay, Dr. Asclepius said he'd be right over, I had to remind him about the Apparation fields," James walked in, his face was very white. "He said to keep Harry as cool as possible."
"Prongs? Lily? Harry? Padfoot?"
"Moony!"the three adults exclaimed.
Remus Lupin walked into Harry's room looking travel-worn, "Yes, the one the only the ingenious . . . what's wrong?" He had noticed everyone's somber faces, and Harry's feverish expression. "Oh, how high's his . . ."
"Very," Sirius snapped. "And if you're going to just stand there, and gawk . . ."
Lily glared daggers at Sirius, she knew Sirius was being overprotective of Harry, he was like a big brother to her son, always ready to protect him at the first sign of trouble. "Remus, could you please go, and wait for the doctor to arrive?"
"Sure," Remus nodded, and hurried off.
"Sirius, why don't you go help him," James suggested turning all his attention to Harry.
Sirius looked from Lily to James, "Okay, I'll tell you guys when Asclepius gets here." He left the room, looking for Remus.
"Hey Padfoot, how's Harry?" Remus said quietly from the couch.
"I'm sorry for what I said back there," Sirius muttered holding his head in his hands. "Do you know what happened two weeks ago?"
Remus laughed, "From your letter you were in bad boy heaven."
"The bad boy got busted, big time," Sirius groaned. "Lils found out that I was using Harry as a babe magnet, and I got put on probation."
"So, this is the first time you got to see him since then?" Remus concluded.
"Yes--" the doorbell rang, Sirius got to his feet to answer it. A flurry of snowflakes hit him in the face as he opened the door, "Doctor?"
"Yes," Dr. Asclepius, a short portly man with wild grey hair, said. He was covered in a thick layer of snow. "It's awful out there, snow drifts the size of mountains."
"Let me take your cloak," Sirius muttered, staggering under weight of the doctor's heavy, waterlogged cloak.
"Where's the little boy?" the doctor asked. "Six, isn't he?
"Six months," Remus corrected, "I'll show you to the nursery."
Sirius shook his head as Remus lead the doctor down the hall, "Figures, we end up with an absentminded doctor."
A few minutes later, after he had cleaned up the puddle of melted snow that had fallen off the cloak when he was hanging it up, Sirius joined his friends in Harry's room.
"Oh dear, this is not good," Asclepius said, 'hmm-ing.' "How old is he again?"
"Six-months," Sirius snapped from the doorway before joining James on the other side of the room. "What's going on?"
"We are having a communication problem here," James growled. "This guy keeps thinking Harry's six years, not six months."
Sirius swore a little to loudly for his own good.
"Mr. Potter? Can I talk with you in the other room?" the doctor asked putting Harry down rather roughly.
"Lily?" James asked, he thought Lily had as much right as he did to know what was wrong with their son, good or bad.
"Go ahead, James," Lily nodded.
"Okay, come on," he lead the doctor to the adjoining bedroom, once the door was closed the doctor began.
"Mr. Potter, I must tell you, this you're son's fever is very high, and at his age he is in real danger . . ."
"What? Do you mean?" James felt like he was going to faint.
"He's to young to take Pepper-Up-Potion, it could burn a hole straight through his tongue! I've seen, well, people . . . let's not go there. There is a potion I can give you that will bring down the fever, but there is a still chance that . . ."
"Oh Jesus," Remus gasped when James explained the situation. "He could really . . .um . . . you know?"
James nodded, grievously.
"But what about that potion, isn't it helping?" Sirius inquired.
James replied, "Yes, but we still have to wait it out."
~*~
For the next few days the four of them watched Harry closely, his fever did not rise but it did not go down either it just stayed. Harry was coughing a lot, never sleeping for long, always crying. The adults were exhausted themselves.
It was late at night, the sky outside was a stormy greyish black. A flash of lighting slashed across the sky followed by a peal of thunder.
Lily, who had just gotten Harry to sleep, raised her eyes to the heavens mentally begging them to quiet down.
"Guess some angel is bowling a perfect game up there," strong arms went around her waist.
"James, don't do that," she scolded startled then laughed. "And the 'shh' goes for you and your friends too."
James nodded, looking back at the closed door that lead to Harry's room sensing Lily's worry said, "He's going to be fine."
Lily shuddered and turned putting her arms around James's neck, "Yes."
Unknown to them Sirius was watching them with somber eyes, he had to help somehow. His best friends were dead tired, Lily's normally neat hair was flyaway, and James's dark blue eyes were bloodshot. Sirius's mind went to work doing what it did best, schemed.
"We better get some sleep while we can," James suggested.
A loud crash from the living room sounded, and the faint cry of "help!" soon followed.
Lily buried her face in her hands, "I don't want to know what they've broken now."
James laughed his Marauder laugh, "That'll be Harry one day!"
"God forbid!" Lily gasped horrified.
"We will have corrupted all his "I can't break the rules" qualities before he's two, mark my words."
Lily threw her hands skyward before hurrying into the living room where the crash had sounded.
James followed her chuckling to himself as he entered the living room; Remus curled up in a chair sleeping, Sirius was hanging his head as Lily looked down her nose at him, a broken lamp lay between them.
"Just a lamp?" Lily sighed tapping the pieces with her wand that were once a lamp.
"It was an ugly lamp anyway," James said quickly before Lily had repaired it.
Lily shook her head, and repaired it anyway. She sat down on the couch and closed her eyes. James sat down next to her, putting his arms around her shoulders. The thunder outside crashed.
A sharp cry followed.
"Harry--" Lily said, tiredly, getting to her feet.
"I'll take care of him, relax," James said, quickly.
"Guys, get some sleep I'll take care of Harry tonight," Sirius ordered.
"But Sirius . . .," Lily protested.
"If anything happens I'll take care of it,"Sirius shooed his friends back on the couch, then headed for the nursery.
Eyes wide and shaking Harry reached up for Sirius as if to say, "What is that? Why is it so loud? Don't leave me alone!"
"Thunder," Sirius said dully, scooping Harry up in his arms. "I know it's loud but it won't hurt you, promise."
"But Sirius will," Lily said coming in, "James is asleep already." Sirius had noticed that her eyes were bloodshot, and implied that she go back to the living room and get some sleep. "Are you sure, Sirius? What if you need help with something?"
Sirius shook his head, "Nah, I'll be fine. Look he's falling asleep again already."
It was true Harry's eyes were almost fully closed by now, he was just as tired as everyone else. Sirius layed him back down in his crib."See?"
"Okay," she agreed, leaving the room. "Coming?"
"Yeah," Sirius followed.
Two hours later, Lily and James were sleeping soundly on the couch, Remus was asleep in an armchair, Sirius was sprawled out on another still half awake.
A wail pierced though the house.
Sirius got quickly to his feet, and went to check on Harry, the baby's wail softened to a whimper when Sirius entered the room. "How you feeling?" he asked Harry, pretending to wait for a reply. "Not that great, huh?" Sirius picked Harry up, walked over to the rocking chair, and sat down.
"Uh?"Harry gave Sirius a confused look as if to say, "you've never done anything like this before."
"Harry," Sirius leaned the baby against his chest, and began rocking back and forth. "I know I was a prat a few weeks ago and I was being self-centered and acting like a jerk. Then Lily started threatening me with things like I'd never be able to see you again, and telling me that I was the biggest, umm . . . maybe I shouldn't repeat what she called me in front of you. Between you, and me, your mum can have the worst mouth I've ever heard when she's properly motivated. Well, that kinda woke me up, or maybe it was the slap she gave me? Just kidding, little guy, you know I love you . . . I know I'm an idiot sometimes, and I really can't believe I did something that irresponsible with you, I am truly sorry." Harry snuggled closer against Sirius's chest, the baby's warm breathing relaxed the man.
"You have to do something for me Harry, for all of us. You have to get better. I won't lie to you, your fever is still high, and judging by what that doctor said, all we can do is wait it out. You can't give up on me, you hear? You're what keeps us going during these dark time, did you know that?"
Harry raised an eyebrow that made him look a little like Sirius, and not so much like James.
"Hey," Sirius smiled in spite of himself. "See? You are a Marauder through and through, and further more you're all that is good in the world, and you can't give up on us. Your parents, Moony, Wormtail and I love you so much that-- you have to get better." Softly, he began to sing,
"Hush, now don't you cry.
I'm here now, I'll keep you safe, and warm.
I'll be there to guide you,
I won't leave your side tonight,
I'll be here 'till morning's first light.
Just look over your shoulder,
And I promise I'll always be there."
"I promise I'll watch over you, just like Lily, and Prongs will, forever."
Sirius remained this way, rocking Harry, and talking to him long into the night.
~*~
"Sirius!"
Sirius broke out of a deep slumber with a start, and looked around the room carefully for the source of the voice that had woken him. No one was there. "I must be delusional."
Harry looked up at Sirius, his eyes bright and smiling.
"Hey, looks like you're feeling better," Sirius said brightly, feeling Harry's forehead. "Feels like your fever's dropped."
Harry grinned mischievously, "Sirius."
"Yes Harry?" It took Sirius about five seconds to realize what was going on. "OH MY GOD!" he almost dropped Harry in his astonishment. "Did you just- no, you're only 6-months-old, most kids don't talk until they're a year or so, right?"
"Sirius!" Harry giggled at Sirius's confused look.
"Oh my god, you spoke! Oh my god,"Sirius gasped, ecstatic. "You said my name! Oh my god!" He beamed at Harry, proudly.
A thought suddenly occurred to Sirius, James was going to kill him. Harry's first word was 'Sirius' instead of Dada or the usual first words, talk about irony. But what did he care? The main thing was Harry was feeling better, and that he had a brilliant idea.
"Harry, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Harry almost nodded.
"That's my little Marauder," Sirius grinned devilishly, and whispered something in Harry's ear. "We better wake up Lily, and Prongs, and tell them that your fever broke, huh?" He got to his feet, holding Harry carefully, and went to find James, and Lily.
When Sirius found them he had to resist the urge to laugh out loud, half of James's lanky body was lying on the floor and half was on the couch, and Lily so was tangled up in a blanket that if she went to get up to quickly she would surely fall. Remus, on the other hand, was sleeping peacefully in a chair.
"A Kodak moment," Sirius mused, nudging James's shoulder with his toe. "Come on Prongs, wakie wakie! You too, Lily! Moony! Up, boy! Up!"
"Do I look like some bloody trained dog?" Remus muttered turning over on his chair.
"At certain times of the month you do," Sirius teased. "Come along Lily, I have a surprise for you."
"Too early," Lily murmured.
"It's Harry," Sirius said softly.
Lily shot up, "What is it? Is he okay? Oh God, Sirius, he's okay isn't he?"
"No, Lily," Sirius said gently. Lily's face paled, she looked like she was going to cry. "He's a lot better!" he handed her Harry.
Lily looked like she was either going to kill Sirius for scaring her like that, or hug him as she took Harry from him. "Harry's fever broke! Oh God, Sirius, thank you!" she gave him an one armed hug.
"You're welcome," Sirius blushed slightly, but Lily didn't hear him, she was already tending to Harry. "James, wake up."
"Huh? I didn't do it Professor, Sirius did! He's insane, I know!" James said, his words slurred together.
Sirius scowled, "So you were the one who ratted me out to McGonagall."
James shook his head, coming out of a deep sleep, "Where's Harry?"
"Safe and sound, or as safe as one can be with Lily," said Sirius.
"Not funny, Padfoot," James scolded, getting to his feet. "How is he, Lil?"
"Perfectly fine," Lily said, taking her son's temperature.
James nodded, and picked Harry up, "Feeling better, Stubs?"
"Sirius," Harry piped as his father held him higher.
James's eyes expanded to the size of dinner plates, "Lily, did you hear that?"
Lily nodded numbly, her face mirrored James's astonishment.
"Say it again," James said, just to be sure he had heard what he thought he had.
Harry obediently repeated, "Sirius."
"Oh my Lord," James gasped in disbelief, "you just spoke!" James spun Harry around, laughing, before realized something, what Harry's first word had been, Sirius.
"Sirius," Lily and James growled in unison, looking at their best friend.
"Smile!" Sirius yelled as he snapped a picture with a small purple camera.
"Now, we have to make him Harry's godfather," Lily rolled her eyes.
"Really? Is that true Prongs?"Sirius was grinning like a maniac. "I still get to be Harry's godfather?"
"I could always change my mind, Sirius," James said handing Harry back to Lily, and advancing on his best friend.
"Prongs, don't look at me like that," Sirius backed away from James, shoving the camera in his pocket again. "You don't want to be violent around your son do you?"
"Just run," James said in a low voice. "Or hand over the photo."
"Not a chance!" and then Sirius took off like a shot.
~*~
Two weeks later Sirius was once again running for his life, he was going to be late! Again. He was always late for one thing or another, he was even born two months late and some said he'd be late for his own funeral, to which he replied, "Of course, it's in my will. What sense would it make to start changing my ways after I had died?" But this was a rare occasion, this was one of the few times that he actually cared about being late.
He had darted through cars, people, bicycles, and dogs, and had been called a lunatic several times. He had been sitting in traffic for twenty minutes, and if you've ever sat in traffic on a motorbike you would probably know it's not very enjoyable especially if after ten minutes you've only moved about five feet. So he had stashed his bike, and continued on foot.
His keys jangled in his motorcycle jacket pocket as he ran, his legs were beginning to ache from dodging this stroller and that cane etc. Nervously, Sirius looked at his watch, five of the seven hands rested on the seven which had church printed under it, the other two actually told the time. He was already ten minutes late.
Some godfather you're turning out to be, he thought as he turned the corner and making his way toward the church. James was waiting outside.
"Remus owes me five sickles," he said happily. "He bet me you wouldn't be late, sucker bet if there ever was one."
Sirius shrugged, "You'd think he'd know by now."
"Better hurry, this vicar is er . . ." James shuddered. "Scary for a lack of a better description."
"Got it," Sirius walk in with James. Lily smiled warmly at him as they entered, her long red mane hung about her shoulders which Harry was making a grab at.
"Hi Sirius," she said as she shook her hair behind her shoulders where Harry couldn't reach.
"How are you?"
"I'm great th-" Sirius stopped when a sallow skinned, vulture-like man dressed in black came into the foyer.
"Is he here yet?!" the man Sirius guessed was the vicar snarled.
"Yeah, me," Sirius raised his hand lightly feeling like he was back in Transfiguration class.
The vicar looked at Sirius with disdain, his eyes lingering on the well-worn leather jacket, "You're the godfather?"
"Yes sir," Sirius said, biting his tongue from snapping at the vicar.
"Are you ready? We are already running late."
"Uh huh," Sirius nodded again, and took Harry from Lily.
The vicar turned on a heel and lead Sirius and Harry to an alter to perform the Soul Bonding ceremony.
As the vicar began to announce this and that to the people in the church, Sirius was thinking about the Soul Bonding.
A Soul Bonding as once of the most ancient wizarding customs was much like a Christening since godparents were involved, but also very different through something called the Connection connects one person's soul to another's. If Harry was in mortal danger he would feel a tingling in his hand and see a flash of the place where Harry was.
"In body, and spirit, flesh, and blood, heart, and soul?" the vicar said bringing Sirius back to Earth, he didn't exactly trust anyone that ran in ten minutes late wearing a leather jacket.
"I do," Sirius said confidently.
"Then place your hand against the child's hand."
Sirius nodded, and did so, Harry gave him a questioning look. "It's only me," Sirius whispered to Harry, who relaxed.
"Now repeat after me, 'I, Sirius Orion Black, will guard , and honor this child's soul."
"I, Sirius Orion Black, will guard , and honor this child's soul."
"Our souls are joined at this moment, and will remain this way until the end of time," the vicar raised his wand.
"Our souls are joined at this moment, and will remain this way until the end of time," Sirius repeated, and vicar brought his wand down, and a blinding white light encircled the man, and the baby. Golden sparks flew through the air landing in their hair.
No one noticed the vicar gasp, as the sparks flew down. He watched as the man, what was his name again? Sirius, yes, that was it, it had taken him a whole night to pronounce it correctly, take the child in his arms, and make his way back to the boy's parents. "Er . . . Sirius, a word," the vicar asked the newly appointed godfather. "Bring, er. . .Harry, also."
"We'll be right back, Prongs," Sirius said, as he took Harry from James, before following the
vicar, thinking, 'this guy is really freaking me out, I don't trust him at all, "you're the
godfather?" he asks, aha! No, I'm the valet, who does he think he is? "For crying out loud , wear
a leather jacket, and everyone thinks you're a thug, huh, Harry?" Sirius whispered to the baby,
who nodded. "I swear
The vicar lead them into a back room, "I've asked you back here because do you remember when the golden sparks fell from the sky."
"Yes, so?"
"That never happened before, never," awe filled the vicar's voice. "There's something special about you, and the child."
Sirius shielded Harry from the vicar, deciding that this guy was a total lunatic, and should be shipped to a mental institution right away. "Whatever, and the child has a name, it's Harry how about calling him that, okay?"
"You know very well that you will know when the-- Harry is in trouble, well let's say you may be able to protect him more then you know. You could probably brake the Hamunaptra curse if it was put on him with just the sound of your voice, think about it!" the vicar said desperate for Sirius to believe him.
"Have a little too much holy wine? Nothing is going to happen to Harry, or James, or Lily, they'll be fine, and live long, and happy lives, and now I bid you a fond farewell, see you in church," with that Sirius turned on a heel, pulled back the curtain, and left.
Sirius did not notice the vicar nod sagely, then slowly evaporate until only a small ball of green light remained then like a candle flame the ball of light was snuffed out.
As they walked down a corridor returning to the main church, Sirius held Harry very close.
"Sirius?" Harry gurgled.
"Yes, Harry?"Sirius said softly, knowing the boy was just saying the only word he could say.
Harry shrugged, his saucer like green eyes drooping, it had been a long day."Sleep well, my godson," he whispered adjusting Harry in his arms so that the baby would be more comfortable.
Little did Sirius Black know just how important the Soul Bond between him and his godson
would be, b