A/N: First off, I want to say the chapter is going up dedicated to Zimmy Russell due to this being Zimmy's birthday. Happy birthday, Zimmy! I hope you enjoy the day.
Next. *P.A.R. wipes a tear away.* You people are sooooooo good to me. You'll never know how much I appreciate it. Especially after a week like the one I've had. Nothing makes me feel quite like I do when I come home from work and click on my bio. page and read your reviews. My boss is quite sure I'm insane at this point because I sit in my cubby-hole and I'm either laughing my head off or cooing at my computer screen. But this week you people just plain out-did yourselves with the reviews. You were just too kind with your praise for this story. You have made P.A.R. very happy, and in return she promises tons of anguish to come.
P.A.R. is also happy to point out based on her enhanced statistics, over 700 people have logged into this story since the first of this month. Even if you don't review, people, at least you're showing up somewhere and making my day. But reviews are nice too.
Enjoy.
On with the story.
Chapter Five: And We Never Even Practiced It
A fair amount of arguing was needed to before Remus was allowed to see Sirius again for the second time in one day. But stating that Sirius had begged to see his godson one more time before he was taken to Azkaban seemed to strike the right cord with the wizard behind the desk guarding the jail area where Sirius was kept, and Lupin was granted admission.
Walking down the long corridor, Lupin tried to busy himself with keeping Harry quiet. Anything that would distract his mind from his real objective for that night. Anything that helped him look a little less guilty.
From deep in the folds of the clean blanket Harry was wrapped in, Remus carefully traced the outline of the wand he had hidden there. Thankfully the guards in the front had been more interested in cooing at the tiny infant then searching him. And Remus, being an expert in concealment spells, was able to mask the wand's presence from any of the detection spells. Going through the standard search Remus was sure he must have looked as nervous as a person could. Unsure, but guessing, what would have happened if the wand had been found.
But now he was standing before Sirius cell once again, waiting for the Auror to open the door. He had been granted permission to go inside this time so that Sirius could hold his godson, which Remus ask he be allowed to do.
Inside the cell Sirius had stumbled up to his feet the minute Remus had arrived. He stood compliantly in the back of the cell as the door was opened, his whole attention centered on the small bundle in Remus' arms. As Remus stepped past the door, the Auror slid it shut once again, then stepped back and waited.
Remus turned back to the Auror. "Are you just going to stand there watching?"
"Orders, sir." The witch replied.
"Can't the man have a few minutes privately with his godson? He likely isn't going to see him again."
The witch thought for a moment, then stepped back a bit more until she was out of eyesight, but not earshot.
Remus mumbled a vague 'thank you'. It wasn't all he had hoped for, but he had made allowances for it. He was also grateful that for the moment at least, Sirius seemed a good deal more lucid than usual.
Lucid wasn't perhaps quite the right word. Sirius seemed positively transfixed at the sight of his godson. As soon as Remus placed the baby in his arms, Sirius immediately began cooing to the small child and playing with him.
Remus watched Harry carefully. From the moment his wide green eyes had taken in the sight of his godfather the baby had squealed with delight and reached up for the familiar face and grabbed two tiny fistfuls of black hair. Harry immediately yanked on the hair, pulling his godfather down to him. As soon as it was within reach, Harry's hand reached up and seized his nose.
All of this Sirius tolerated with an amused sort of expression, smiling down happily at his godson. As soon as Harry had a firm grip on the older man's nose he giggled with delight and yanked on his hair again. Sirius leaned down and kissed the baby on his forehead. Harry immediately seized hold of the neck of Sirius' shirt with his tiny hands and refused to let go. Obligingly, Sirius lifted the child up and rested him on his shoulder.
"You seem better." Remus commented as Sirius patted the Harry's back as the baby cooed contentedly.
"They gave me some potion." Sirius replied absently. "It helped."
Remus watched with a small smile as Harry pulled up tightly against Sirius' neck. "I told you he missed you, Sirius." Remus stated finally as he watched his friend tightly hugging his godson like he would never let him go.
"He'll get used to you, Moony." Sirius said in a sad, soft voice. "You'll see. Show him a picture of me in a few years and he won't even remember who I was."
"I doubt he'll ever forget you, Sirius." Remus stated loud enough for the guard outside to hear as he reached over for Harry. "And I hope he doesn't have to." He added in a lower voice as Sirius handed the baby back to him.
In a move one would have thought they had practiced for days, Remus grabbed Sirius' hand under the blanket where it supported Harry and guided it to where the wand was hidden. With the briefest of eye contact, Remus made sure Sirius had understood what he was trying to show him, then with a precision move, shoved it out of the baby's blanket and up into the sleeve of Sirius' shirt.
Sirius caught his friend's eye again and quickly shook his head. "Remus, no. I don't want you to....."
"I have to take Harry back now, Sirius." Remus interjected quickly, staring intently at Sirius and warning him to shut-up. "We have to leave now. You knew that. Don't make it any harder than it is on either of you."
By this time, having been taken sooner than he wanted from his godfather, Harry had begun to cry. Sirius stared back at the crying infant with tears in his eyes. Reaching out he gently stroked his cheek.
"It'll be all right, Harry." He said softly. "You go with Remus now. He'll take good care of you. I know he will."
Remus reached down and pulled something from his robes as the Auror stepped back up to unlock the door.
"One more thing." He stated, pulling out Harry's old blanket. "Harry doesn't seem to want this ratty old thing anymore. I though you might want it to remember him by."
Remus held the blanket up for the guard to see. Eyeing it for a moment, the guard pulled out her wand and cast a quick spell over the piece of cloth. A few seconds later she nodded and Remus handed the blanket to Sirius. "Use it well." He stated softly, then turned without another word and left the cell.
Sirius stood at the bars of his cell with his hand wrapped tightly about the blanket, watching his godson until he could no longer see him past the straight line of the wall. But Harry's cries continued to echo back down the hallway until the guard slammed the door shut.
For several minutes Sirius remained standing at the bars of his cell, his head resting against them. Silent tears ran in streams down his cheeks and fell to the cold stone floor. For several minutes he stood there, allowing himself the luxury of self-pity as he looked into a very bleak future. But finally he pulled away from the bars, and wiping back his tears, went and sat back down on the floor of his cell. He looked forlornly at the blanket he still held tightly to. He carefully rubbed his fingers over the cloth.
But suddenly he stopped.
Somehow the cloth of the blanket didn't feel right. Having held his godson wrapped in that piece of cloth for months on end, Sirius was sure he could have picked it out of a hundred others blindfolded. But right now his eyes were wide open and he would have bet his last knut this wasn't Harry's blanket.
Standing up Sirius shook the blanket out to its full size and looked it over again. Sirius had been suspicious right off when Remus had told him he was giving him the blanket because Harry didn't seem to want it anymore. Harry loved his blanket and would break into a crying fit if it was ever taken away from him, as Sirius had told Remus that morning. For appearances sake, it could well have been the same blanket. But if it wasn't Harry's old blanket, then what was it?
Suddenly Sirius remembered the wand Remus had slipped him up his sleeve. The piece of polished wood had fit so snuggly inside his sleeve, he had all but forgotten it was there. Looking about, Sirius carefully removed the wand from his sleeve. He lightly ran his fingers over it, wondering where Remus had gotten one. Surely it wasn't his own. The ministry had taken it away from him before he was put in the cell. And certainly it wasn't Remus'. Sirius knew the feeling of Remus' wand as well as his own. This wand wasn't either. But it vibrated in his hand. It seemed to know him somehow, but Sirius wasn't sure from where. Sirius shook his head. He was too tired to sort the problem out right then. Looking it over, Sirius noticed a piece of parchment wrapped tightly about the end of the wand. Looking about one more time, Sirius moved to the back of the cell before unwrapping the piece of parchment.
'Padfoot,' the note began, 'I wouldn't have given you this if I didn't believe you were innocent of the things they're saying you did. I'm sorry to say I did have my doubts at first. That's why you were to stay with me after James and Lily's murders. We weren't sure if you had had anything to do with it and I was to watch you and make sure Harry was safe. But I can't believe that anyone could love Harry so much and have had anything to do with the death of his parents. And now they say you attack the Dursley's and destroyed their home as well. I can't believe that either. I want to hear your side of things, Padfoot. And I'm willing to listen to what you have to say. You know you have a safe place to come to. All you have to do is get here. If you use the old disclosure spell we found in that book in our fifth year on Harry's blanket, I'm sure you'll find a good use for the item. Be careful and take care. Moony.
As soon as Sirius finished the note, the writing on it slowly faded and left only a blank piece of parchment. Sirius tucked into his sleeve just the same. Turning his attention to the blanket, he racked his brain to remember the spell Remus had mentioned. Slowly the old spell came to him. It had been clever of Remus to use a spell that wasn't sophisticated, but was so old, it slipped past most modern methods to detect it. Pointing the wand at the piece of cloth, Sirius muttered the spell quietly.
Almost instantly the piece of cloth began to spread out and lengthen like a contained pool of shimmering liquid until it stretched out on the floor before him. Sirius stared at the article in dumbfounded amazement.
James' invisibility cloak.
"Merlin's Beard, Remus!" Sirius exclaimed softly. "How did you get this?"
The cloak didn't seem to be any one color, but shone with an array of colors that rippled over it's surface.
Sirius suddenly turned his attention back to the wand. In a rush of memory he remembered why the wand had felt so familiar. Like the cloak, it had belonged to his best friend.
Sirius shook his head again. "Moony, you shouldn't have done this." He said quietly. "If they catch me with this, they'll know where it came from. And the wand. Then you'll end up in Azkaban right along with me. Then what'll happen to our Harry?"
Sirius seemed to give the question some serious thought. But he quickly frowned at the answer he came up with.
"Probably send him back to those muggles. And he won't have anyone to watch over him then." Sirius looked at the cloak again. "Or maybe this is just the position you wanted me in, you old wolf. No way to back out. When they come to get me, they would find these, and they'd know who brought them." Sirius coughed again a few times, then slowly lowered himself back to the floor. What had Remus been thinking? He knew he was sick. He was the one who kept pointing it out to anyone who would listen. Mostly to Sirius. Didn't Remus realize he wasn't in any condition to try an escape?
Sirius coughed up another lung full of blood and phlegm and spat it into the bowl.
Slowly he turned his mind back to the problem at hand. Remus obviously had assumed a certain amount of risk to aid him in attempting to escape. If he did nothing, Remus was bound to be found out. But what if he could get out? What if he could really escape? He could get rid of the wand and the cloak and no one would be the wiser. Just a bunch of dumbfounded ministry members wondering how he had gotten out. When they found him, he didn't have to tell anyone.
'Wait a minute.'
Sirius' mind suddenly focused on something he had been missing.
'Black, you idiot.' He thought. 'If you're lucky enough to make it out, all you're worrying about is how to explain yourself when you get caught. What if you don't? What if they don't catch you? What if you actually make good an escape?'
Sirius tried to focus his fevered thoughts on the possibility of a successful escape. What if he got out? Then what? Remus said he had a safe place to go to. His house. He'd be safe there. He'd be with Harry.
Harry.
Nothing seemed to center his thoughts quite as well as that one idea. Being back with his godson.
But first he had to get out.
Remus had given him all the tools. He just had to put them to proper use.
Sirius shook his head as he felt his body's exhaustion trying to engulf him. He had managed to remain fairly lucid and steady in Remus' presence. But the display had cost him a great deal, and he was now starting to feel it. He got to his feet and walked to the bars. Leaning his head against them again he listened for the sounds of the building shutting down for the night.
He had to stay awake. Everything depended on that. If he fell asleep he might not wake up in time. And morning would be too late.
Pulling back from the bars, Sirius began to pace his cell. Walking was how he stayed awake on the streets. Walking was how he would stay awake now.
But walking required more air in his lungs, and breathing was already so very hard.
Hadn't Moony said something about getting him a doctor? Why hadn't he let Moony get the doctor?
'Because you're an idiot.' He answered himself. But no, that wasn't the real reason. He hadn't thought it would matter. That's why he hadn't bothered with it. Why cure him just to send him to Azkaban, where most of the prisoners go insane or die anyway?
Sirius sighed to himself. If it was difficult for him just to walk about his cell, how was he going to get to Remus' house? Remus lived near Hogsmeade. And that was a very long way away from London. Could he even hope to survive such a journey as sick as he was?
Sirius found himself back at the bars, staring out at the wall opposite him. How could he ever hope to get out of this place? And how could he ever make it to Remus' house?
Escape seemed an impossible dream.
But if he stayed, he was facing a nightmare.
Q&A
Hayleyhedwig 11: Well, technically, he stole a car.
Remus was just making conversation. He had no idea that the comment about Peter would get such a reaction out of Sirius.
If you'll remember back to the beginning of the story, the blanket is the same one Sirius found Harry wrapped in when he found the baby in the ruins of the house at Godric's Hollow. I don't know that Harry's obsessed with it (can a baby be obsessed with something?). It's just the one thing he's always had and it's sort of a comfort to him. It's familiar.
I'll try not to miss a Sunday. But the site seems to have been having some trouble lately. Things like that I can't control. If I can't get on, I can't post. But in such events I try to get the story up as soon as possible.
The Bonds That Tie currently is running a little longer than Fever. I doubt I'll add any more chapters to it and it'll probably be posted as it stands now, unless I get some really knock-me-over suggestion or someone points out some horrible continuity error that can only be corrected with an added chapter.
The reason for that is that I'm working on another story called Enemy (which is taking up most of my writing time right now) that will post probably shortly after this one is finished. The reason is that Enemy has to go up before Family Relations due to content. Enemy is a story about Orion Black, Sirius' brother, that covers some things about his life you'll need to know before reading Family Relations, since Orion figures so prominently in that story.
I love questions. Keep 'em coming.
Sandrine Black: You think he's in a state now? Oh, dear. Keep reading.
Anyway, glad you liked the chapter. I did warn this was a very anguishy story.
Dumbledore's True Love: Wear it proudly, Dear. You more than earned it. Not many people, as I said, can claim to be even close to ever backing me into a corner I couldn't talk my way out of.
Yes, that's a possibility. But Remus left Harry with a witch, who was aware of the situation and therefore on her toes, so to speak. I'm sure Remus also didn't waste a lot of time chatting up the guards at the jail while he was there and hurried home as fast as possible.
Hey now! (Jumps to Sirius' defense.) Sirius is sick. NOT losing it! Poor man has pneumonia.
That part about getting him out came up in this chapter.
Voldemort may or may not have a body right now. For the sake of later stories in which I'm betting he'll need one, I'll say he does. But in this particular story, it just isn't a factor.
Ohhhhhhh! Stuffed animals! P.A.R. loves stuffed animals!
Give me time with the Dumbledore thing. It's still early in the story. Things need to develop a bit more.
I have no problem reading original work, or any story for that matter, but I prefer to read finished work. No offence intended here, but see it from my point of view. My time is very limited between everything that I do. I have a job, a house to keep, I write for this site, and I'm working on my next novel. So you see, I prefer not to spend time reading something that isn't going anywhere, so to speak. If your serious, in other words, sure, I'd be happy to make some sort of arrangement to have you get it to me. But finish it first, O.K.?
MegOfAllTrades: Oh, I realize it was a compliment, dear. It's just I get asked about who I am all the time here. It's simply not a question I can answer unfortunately. Now you know why.
I wish I could tell you anything about myself past the fact that P.A.R. are the initials of my pen name. And the only reason I felt safe doing that was because my last story was published several years ago and it's darned unlikely anyone will find it. It's also very specific. You'd have to know what you were looking for.
Kit: Signing up what, dear? A story? That would depend. First you have to register. That's the little thing up on top of almost every page. Click on that and follow the instructions. But, if it helps, I have to tell you few people in this world are more intimidated by computers than P.A.R. (and I work with them). So if I could do it, surely anyone can. If you tell me what sort of problems your having specifically, maybe some of the others can help as well. Give it a try, write down what happens as you go, and post it up here. I'll certainly try to help.
And thank you for the review. Consistent readership is a GOOD thing!
Pottermouth: A small comment, but possibly an important one in the future should you go looking for the story. The sequel to Family Life is posting as Family Relations, not 'Family Matters'.
Oh, great! Blame me for your being bald! Wrong! Your problems are your own, dear.
Ya' know, you got me thinking evil thoughts. Like posting the first chapter of Family Relations and leaving you for the next few months to stew.
P.A.R. is starting to like that idea. I'll think about it some more.
But for heavens sake, leave your hair alone! I am working on Family Relations. And technically that is writing it. Does that count? But the story is taking a considerable amount of time due to content. (That's a nice way of saying it's a bit complicated.). I also have another story, Enemy, that has to post first because it's going to give you a bit of a rooting in the character of Orion Black that will help you understand the character a bit better. So I'm afraid Family Relations is starting to look like a summer read.
Starlight: Now how can I answer that? At least not without upsetting a lot of people.
Hermione Gulliver: Well, seeing as some 700 other people have read it and NOT reviewed, how can I be mad at someone who does?
Happy ending? Did you not read the author's notes at the first chapter?
Sorry, there is no sequel planned to The Bonds That Tie. At least not officially. I am planning on working in this AU a bit though, which means you can expect to see other stories with the characters written within this canon. As I mentioned, I like working with Harry as a baby. Cuts down a great deal on dialogue for me.
Me: WOW! Look who gets the gold star this week! Why? Because you sat down and took the time to spell out that word. P.A.R. is impressed! So, here you go, Me. (*)
Oh, and it was totally fun, and completely amusing!
Lotesse:
Dear Mrs. Lotesse;
You may not know me, but I have been writing stories on Fanfiction.Net for some time now. Stories which your daughter, the English Teacher, has been kind enough to consent to review for me.
I can assure you I am of good character and only have a small arrest record, and despite the video tape, my lawyer is still fairly certain he can beat the rap for me.
As an author myself, I can tell you that most of my education as a writer came from my reading of other people's books. I spent large sums of money on this. But somehow it managed to impress itself enough upon my own meager writing skills to help me become a published author.
Therefore, it is with a great deal of sincerity that I would request that you support your daughter's inborn, incessant need to read everything she can get her hands on. And one day, after years of sacrifice on your part for all you had to give up so that she could have books to read, she will proudly come to you one day and show you her first published book. She will then tell you what she was paid, which will promptly have you crying in your tea thinking that she could have had a real job making good money by now.
Sincerely,
P.A.R.
How was that?
Oh, and don't worry about writing to my editor. He'd probably just ignore you. He's been doing that to me for years.
Anyway, I can tell you P.A.R. hasn't even begun to milk the anguish cow yet. I promised you tons of anguish and tons of anguish you shall have!
Harry's coming back, don't worry. But I have to stick to those darn child labor laws. Can't work him too much.
What's wrong with Sirius? He had a nasty little cold that developed into a nasty little case of pneumonia. Oh, by the way, Sirius isn't in Azkaban right now. He's in the ministry jail currently.
*P.A.R. begins paging through her Fanfiction handbook.* Darn! Don't remember seeing that one either!
'Like frogs in a thunderstorm'. (Giggles.) I like that. Never heard it before. But in regard to everyone's thoughts on my portrayal of Dumbledore, I just have to say 'give it time'. It's still early in the story.
The feeling between the Marauders are pretty much canon here. A this point in time the only friction is between Sirius and Peter, because Sirius is the only one (at this point) who knows Peter is a traitor, and even he's not 100% sure what's going on with Wormtail. Remus had his suspicions about Sirius, and he still hasn't sorted things out 100% either, as you saw in this chapter. But he's getting there. A lot of what's turning Remus around is simply watching Harry and Sirius together. There's nothing he can see between the two but an undisguised love and affection. Especially on Harry's part for his godfather. But now I'm getting ahead of myself, so I have to shut up.
Again, Sirius isn't in Azkaban yet, so no Dementors as yet.
Dang! Spelling Police! And here I am with all those unpaid spelling tickets! No wonder I don't support their fraternal order.
Actually, it wasn't your suggestion about Katlin that I was laughing at. It was your comment about her future. As I often tell people, your train's on the right track, but you left the station without all your passengers on board. But you will be seeing her in all her Deatheater glory in another up-coming story. She's definitely not a woman to mess with.
Nagini: Sorry. Nope. P.A.R. is very firm about the one chapter a week thing, I'm afraid.
How do you get something published? Well, for one, a lot of work. My recommendation is, listening to friends and family is fine. They're great for encouragement. But to head out on the road to getting published, you need a lot more than just encouragement. You need a professional. My advice is, if you seriously want to try for publication, show your work first to an English teacher and asked they're opinion. They can be invaluable in helping you clear up spelling and grammatical errors. Nothing in this world will stop your chances of being published faster than those two things. Because no editor in his right mind is going to bother with a writer who needs a good course in English. They simply don't have the time. Also, take a creative writer course. These classes aren't going to make you a writer any more than an art class is going to make you a painter. You either have the talent or you don't. But it will definitely help you polish up your skills.
Once you have that all taken care of, you can try checking out The Poetry Writers Market (and I may not have the name exactly right, but it'll be close). If you've never heard of it, you need to get acquainted with it. It's a fairly large book that is published every year and is a wonderful tool for cutting down on research time. This book lists every major publisher of poems, as well as their address, editors names, phone numbers, and a list of submission requirements. As that the book ain't cheap, you can probably find it in your local library. You can also scan the internet now for listing of poetry publishers. BUT BE WARNED! These are not always reputable and sometimes they are Vanity Press publishers. The Poetry Writers Market, to my knowledge, researches each company they list to make sure they are reputable.
Good luck with the poems.
(For the regular writers out there, The Writers Market is the companion to The Poetry Writers Market and lists much the same information, just for the novel and short story publishers instead.).
Mayleesa: Thank you. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.
Alexa Black: *P.A.R. stands stunned.* YOU don't have any theories? Not even one?!!! But.....but...................but you ALWAYS have a theory! I'm just shocked.
Oh, well.
As to the 'sad story' part. You were warned about this. Now is not the time to come crying to me. All you'll get out of me is a copy of chapter one with the Athor's Notes highlighted.
Wolf Of Solitude: *GASP!* Wolf has a heart?!
I'm so sorry. This weeks gold star was already awarded. And I don't give honorable mention. But you were a close runner up because you thought J.K. Rowling would like my story. Wow! What a compliment! I'd be surprised if she'd even take the time to read it. Her stories are far more complicated and better written than mine. And the woman has plot twists down to a science.
And that first paragraph of your review. *P.A.R. wipes away another tear.* What can I say? *Wipes away another tear.* That was so sweet. It is definitely among the nicest, most wonderful reviews I've gotten. And since your review was so nice, I'll just say, 'Anguish! Oh, look, Wolf! There's more anguish on the way!'.
You're more or less like the rest of the reviewers on the site? How did you come to that, dear? I mean, you, after all, REVIEW (nice long ones, too). I've got 700 other people who don't.
Oh, I don't mind telling you how long I've been writing. I think it is close to three decades now. (I told you I was old. Go read the bio. page again.)
Learning how my mind works, hmmmm? Don't go there, dear. It's a scary place.
Hmmmm, next paragraph, lots of questions........yeah, P.A.R. is happy.
O.K., I have to be very careful here because I have to ride a fine edge with answering some of these.
Sirius isn't looking to take care of himself because, as you started to see in this chapter, he doesn't feel he'll have to. He has a plan, which he's already set in motion. Now he just has to see it through and he feels everything will be fine. Harry won't need him anymore and he can go pop off quietly.
Hope? The man couldn't find the word if you gave him a dictionary right now.
Trial? What trial? This is the MINISTRY, for heavens sake. *P.A.R. laughs.* A trial. Please! You know how the ministry spells 'trial'? A-Z-K-A-B-A-N.
Why isn't Dumbledore showering them with words of wisdom and such? I'll answer that with an old saying that's near and dear to my heart. 'When there's nothing you can do, the best thing to do is nothing.' But believe me, Dumbledore is watching the situation carefully.
Takes a child a long time to trust someone. And poor Harry's been through a lot lately. Currently he's just trying to adjust to the fact his 'voice' is gone, and a new one has taken it's place. Plus, children are more perceptive then people give them credit for sometimes. Especially babies. And Harry can sense that everyone around him right now is pretty tense. So he knows something's wrong, he just isn't sure what. So despite how nice Remus is trying to be to him, he's still scared.
Gia: Unfortunately, due to my time restraints currently going on, I can only post once a week. Usually on Sundays.
Kiara O. Lawrence: Oh, dear. Your story sounds very familiar. Which means it probably falls under the category of its one of those stories I've read but haven't revie.......well, you get the picture. But look at it this way. The way I see it, for every one person who does review, there are about sixty-five to a hundred who don't. At least that's how my statistical hits are running right now on this and my other stories. Trust me, 'Enhanced Statistics' is well worth the money. But I do understand what a written review can do for a writers soul and I am trying. I am critiquing one story currently, and that's about all I can do right now. I hope to free up some time shortly and do a few more. But your on my list. And that's further than most people get.
Anyway, I do thank you. This was such a wonderful review. It was one of the ones that really made my week. I'm pleased beyond words if I actually inspire another writer. What a wonderful compliment! And I'm even able to cheer you up a bit. But please try to not let the review thing get you down. Write for yourself. Not for others. To do otherwise will never bring you joy as a writer.
Zimmy Russell: So. Are you having a good birthday, dear? I hope so. Birthdays are great.
Yes. I missed you last week. I miss all my regulars when you don't review and wonder what happened to you or how I insulted you into not coming back the last time.
Yes, indeed. Poor Sirius is in need of a doctor. Unfortunately, two people don't see it that way. The ministry as a collective person...., and Sirius.
Still working on the Jolt cola thing.
Happy Birthday.
Whisp!
Bad news, Whisp. P.A.R. read your story. Need I say more? *Whisp looks over reviews page. 'Strange. I don't see any P.A.R. here. Where's the review? You mean you didn't review AGAIN!?'*
Oh, goody! P.A.R. is performing miracles now! Sell tickets!
Yup. Things are on the desperate side of Sirius needing a doctor.
Good or bad, but the Deatheaters are out of the story at this point. But as I've said, I revise as I go, so 'never say never'.
O.K., I can't point this out enough, because it is important to the story. Sirius hasn't been officially accused of anything yet, therefore there is no need for him to go free. He's being held only for questioning. The problem he's facing is the ministry thinks the best place for him is Azkaban because they think he's nutters and basically see no point in bothering with him. The ministry doesn't WANT to see anything else. Heavens, that might make them have to take a second look at things. They're solution is to simply ship Sirius off to Azkaban as fast as possible and let the problem take care of itself.
The rest of your review was answered in this chapter. Good job, by the way, in thinking out that Harry's visit was important.
Tiger Lily: As you can see, Sirius did get to see Harry again. The part about the doctor I can't respond to yet. Anybody dieing? Can't answer that one either. Sorry.
Black Sparkles: Since when did you move to Wyoming, get married, and have five kids? (Sorry, dear. That's the description of my best friend of the past ohhhh......nineteen years.)
But I can have more than one best friend, I guess. However, I wouldn't even tell her if this story has a happy ending. Sorry.
Glad you liked the chapter.
Lin-z: Too tired to log-in, huh? You need more sleep, dear.
And exactly WHAT are you doing reading stories at 1 in the frinckin' A.M., young lady? GET YOUR ASS TO BED! Heavens! Do I have to mother the whole world?!
Nope. Can't answer those questions. So don't ask.
Karla: aka-trouble-maker.
Wow! You've read them all? Even Family Life? Dang! P.A.R. is impressed (and very grateful)! Thank you.
I believe I've read some things by Iniga. She's very good (if it's the same person I'm thinking of).
Yes, Family Life has two sequels currently in production. Family Relations and Family Ties. However, do not expect the sequels to start until late spring or summer.
Well, it's like this. I'm the mother of two cats. And that's about it. I have no children and have limited contact with them. Therefore, yes, I probably have the developmental skills thing WAY off. For this reason I've never mentioned his age, I only drop vague references about it in the story. P.A.R. has been researching the subject, however, and hopes to get better at describing proper age-related skills.
O.K., try to follow me. A couple of people questioned the thing about why Sirius isn't either saying something about Peter or out trying to kill him. So let me try to clear it up. First off, keep in mind that Sirius was SUPPOSE to be the Potter's secret-keeper. It was on his recommendation that they switched to Peter. Next, Sirius isn't sure (not 100%) that Peter had anything to do with the Potter's deaths. For all he knows, Peter was captured by Voldemort and tortured until he gave him the information he wanted. A point he can't prove or disprove as that no one has seen or heard from the little rat since that night. Finally, since he's faced with a lot of 'what if's' and a lot more guilt about his role in his best friends deaths, he's really not that keen on discussing the matter. So, what have you got here? Well, you've got Sirius not talking about anything because he just isn't in a state to face things right now, Dumbledore and Remus not asking any questions because they aren't sure what's going on with Sirius at the moment (remember that the reason Sirius was placed with Remus in the first place was because Dumbledore and Remus had some doubts about his involvement in the events of that night, but no proof one way or the other), and the ministry just looking for a warm body to accuse. Oh! Look! There's poor Sirius!
I hope I'm still a favorite.
No. This story is an AU and has no connection whatsoever to Family Life.
Well, I don't know about the perfection part, but I am planning other stories in this AU. Whether or not they will deal with Sirius having custody of or raising Harry I can't say for obvious reasons.
As to the posting thing, due to time restraints I can only post once a week. I usually post on Sundays, usually at night, although the time of day has sort of gone up for grabs right now due to work schedules.
O.K., due to having to post early in the morning, I had to cut the reviews off early. So reviews are as of 02162002.
Thanks again to all who reviewed. If I missed you, I apologize. Let me know. You can blackmail me big time for doing that.
See you next week.