A/N: HONESTLY!!!
Talk about your classic guilty until proven innocent!
Poor Dr. Aaron Richards. The man comes to help and he's accused of everything from being a spy for the ministry, to a traitor, to a Deatheater. And the poor man hasn't even DONE anything!
NOW! Let me ask you people a question. And I want you to THINK about it. All right?
WHY do you think Dr. Richards is so interested in a person who was supposedly nothing more than a former patient? Hmmmm? Work on that for me. You'll get your answer in a few chapters. (And kindly remember, I do NOT write slash....yet.).
Anyway. Thank you to all the people who reviewed as always. I want you each to know how very much I appreciate hearing from you and the fun I get in answering questions. Don't ask me why. I just do.
Now, a bit of bad news. The Bonds That Tie, I believe, is better than half way done, or darned close. As I said, all the stories I post are done, just subject to constant revisions. Now, that wasn't the bad news. It was just leading up to it.
The bad news is that once The Bonds That Tie is done, P.A.R. is going to take a short vacation from Fanfiction.Net. Actually, it's a working vacation.
You see, I've discovered that I simply can not work on one story while posting another. It simply takes too much time. So I'll be taking some time off after this story to work on some others. The good news is when I come back I'll have stories to post for a long time coming. I'll be finishing Enemies (Tentative Working Title), Family Relations, and Family Ties (the two sequels to Family Life), hopefully finish Reputation, and a little Snape/Lupin story I'm working on. I may post a few one shots while on vacation. We'll see. So, how long will this vacation be? Depends. It took me nearly six months to finish Family Life, but it was 49 chapters long. I don't plan on any of these others being that long. Just depends on where my ideas take me I guess.
I won't be gone for six months. Don't get me wrong. But I will likely be gone for two or three months while I work on other projects.
I'll keep in touch, mind you. I'll do some promised reviewing so you know I haven't just disappeared. But, I just wanted to warn you so there weren't any nasty little surprises down the road......and while I was thinking of it.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
On with the story.
Enjoy.
Chapter Eight: Decisions
Remus stood staring at the closed door for some time. A frightening coldness had settled on him the moment Aaron Richards had left. His thoughts were racing about as a hundred different possibilities began presenting themselves as to what was likely to happen next. He knew he had had no choice in calling the doctor. Sirius was ill. He had needed help. But Remus had no idea what Aaron was likely to do next. What if he went to the ministry? What if they came there and found Sirius? They would take him to Azkaban. No doubt about that. Nor was there any doubt how long Sirius would last there.
But he had had no choice.
Remus tried shaking the thought from his mind. Aaron had said he would think about things. He wouldn't go to the ministry without saying something to Remus. He wouldn't lead them there and let them ambush him. Aaron was his friend.
Remus shuttered at the thought. He had been Sirius' friend as well. But hadn't an ambush been exactly what he had led Sirius into?
But he hadn't known, he consoled himself. The ministry had lied to him.
Couldn't they just as easily lie to Aaron then?
Remus tried to calm his frantic thoughts by busying himself with something else. He forced himself into his small, cozy kitchen and opened one of the cabinets. A line of baby food jars now sat on one of the shelves, along side of formula, baby biscuits, and assorted treats. Remus pondered over what to give Harry for lunch. It was a learning experience for him in discovering the baby's likes and dislikes. And the lesson wasn't always pleasant. The day before he had inadvertently tried to give Harry something definitely under the 'dislike' category.
Remus had spent a good portion of the evening cleaning the stuff out of his rug.
Finally selecting a jar of something gray that claimed on the label to be turkey, Remus set it on the table and went to get Harry.
On the way Remus stopped by Sirius' room to check on him and see if he wanted anything to eat or drink. He was pleased to see a pair of glazed, but open eyes peer up at him as he sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Welcome back?" Remus asked, trying his best to sound cheerful.
Sirius moaned softly, which gave way to a coughing spell.
Remus had noticed over the past day that Sirius' coughing spells weren't coming as frequently and they didn't last as long or seem to do much good to improve his breathing. None of which Remus took as a good sign, and most of which Aaron had confirmed for him. He had told Remus Sirius simply didn't have the strength to clear the congestion out of his lungs anymore and that it was starting to build up now, making breathing harder and harder for Sirius.
Remus brushed a bit of damp hair back from Sirius' face as Sirius closed his eyes again.
"I had a friend come to see you, Sirius." He told him. "Do you remember that?"
Sirius opened his eyes again and barely shook his head.
"I didn't think you would. You seemed pretty out of it. You didn't even respond to Harry nearly snatching you bald."
Sirius gave a weak smile. But it was met by Remus serious expression.
"This friend of mine, Sirius, was a doctor."
"You shouldn't have brought anyone here." Sirius rasped out. "They'll accuse you....."
"Aaron won't say anything, Sirius." Remus sounded as convincing as he could. "And you needed a doctor."
Sirius stared up at his old friend with a bit more focus in his stare.
"I'm really sick, aren't I, Moony?" He asked quietly.
Remus sighed quietly to himself. "Aaron said that you have pneumonia, Sirius. But he left some medicine for you to take. You'll be fine."
Sirius pulled the cover up closer to his chin as his body shook slightly.
"It's cold in here."
"I'll get you another blanket." Remus offered as he laid a hand on Sirius' forehead. He was still burning up with fever, despite his claim to being cold.
Remus left to get another blanket and returned a few minutes later with one blanket and three extra pillows. He placed the blanket halfway up the bed, then helped Sirius sit up as he stuffed the extra pillows behind him. Aaron had suggested that keeping Sirius' upper body propped up might help him breath a little easier. But all his efforts earned Remus was a fair amount of grumbling from Sirius.
"I'm getting ready to feed Harry lunch." Remus stated after he managed to get Sirius as comfortable as he could in his new position. "Do you want anything?"
"How is he?" Sirius asked, a bit more focused now. Propping him up definitely seemed to have improved his condition, no matter how slight.
"Harry's doing fine, Sirius. Aaron even looked him over and pronounced him a happy, healthy child." Remus smiled down at his friend. "You did a wonderful job taking care of him."
Sirius smiled slightly at the news, but frowned at Remus' declaration.
"Well, I think so. Now, time for lunch. What do you want?"
"Harry."
Remus shook his head. "He'll never fit in the oven. Choose something else."
Sirius managed another small smile. "Idiot." He rasped out. "I want to see him."
"After lunch. How about some soup? Do you a world of good."
Sirius shook his head. "Not hungry."
"Well," Remus turned to the bottles lined up on the table, "hungry or not, you're taking at least three of these. So, water or juice?"
Sirius turned his head slightly as he studied the assortment of bottles, all sitting neatly lined up along the nightstand. He frowned up at Remus as he turned back to him. "Juice." He grumbled.
"Good boy." Remus answered with a pleased smile. "Now, stay put while I go and get it."
Sirius sighed quietly as he settled back in the bed. A few minutes later he opened his eyes again to find Remus coming back into the room holding a glass of juice and Harry.
Sirius' face lit up immediately at the sight of his godson. But Remus sat him on the chair by the bed.
"Oh, no. First the pills. If you're very good," Remus continued as though he were talking to a five year old, "and you show Harry how a grown-up takes his medicine, I'll feed him up here and you can watch. Otherwise, it's downstairs in the kitchen and you can sit up here by yourself and stare at the walls instead."
Sirius took each pill in turn without so much as a word of protest, his stare fixed on Harry, who was contemplating the ornamental pillow in the chair where Remus had sat him. Currently he was considering if it tasted good.
When Sirius finished, Remus picked Harry up and seated himself in the chair.
"All right. Deals a deal." Remus stated. "You did your part, so you get to see if Harry likes lunch."
As he settled the baby in his lap, Remus produced a jar of food and a spoon from his robe pockets. Harry made the connection in an instant as he quickly grabbed for the jar and yanked it towards his mouth.
"Haven't you been feeding my godson?" Sirius grumbled, trying to suppress a cough.
"Your godson," Remus protested, pulling the jar free from the pair of tiny hands, "Give me that!...has been eating me out of house and home. I swear this kid must have gained ten pounds in the few days he's been here."
"Good." Sirius rasped.
Remus dug into the small jar and came out with a spoonful of the gray concoction. Harry already had his mouth open and was reaching for the spoon.
"What is it?" Sirius asked.
"Label swears it's turkey." Remus answered as he followed the baby's guiding of the spoon into his mouth. "I have my own ideas on the matter."
Both men waited patiently for the child's declaration as Harry seemed to mull over his decision. But finally, after what seemed like much thought on the matter, he quickly opened his mouth again.
"Well, look at that, Sirius." Remus declared. "Your godson's taste-buds have been thoroughly killed by whatever you were feeding him all those months." Remus shook his head. "Harry, this stuff is no good for you. Don't you know any better?"
"How would you know?" Sirius asked.
Remus gave him a defiant stare. "How would you? Have you ever tried it?"
"Have you?"
Harry suddenly wailed, waving his arms about as he grabbed at the spoon.
"All right. All right." Remus quickly dug into the jar for another spoonful. "Merlin's Beard. He certainly has James' appetite."
Sirius simply smiled slightly as he watched Harry again drag the spoonful of food to his mouth.
Two jars of baby food, a bottle of milk, and nearly an hour later, Remus finally settled back in the chair with an exhausted sigh of relief. On the bed in front of him, Harry lay contentedly curled up next to his godfather, who was watching Remus with a bemused sort of smile.
"Tired?" Sirius rasp out.
Remus opened his eyes. "I never knew just feeding a baby could be so much work."
Of course, feeding Harry would likely have gone much smoother and not taken nearly so long if Sirius hadn't been encouraging him that throwing food was a good idea. Nor was Sirius returning fire helping matters any.
Remus closed his eyes again with a sigh. For a sick man, he thought, Sirius had remarkably good aim.
The food fight had ended with Remus finally calling a cease fire. And with a quick cleaning spell had managed to clean up himself, Harry, Sirius, and much of the area around them.
The only reason Remus had tolerated the activity as long as he had was that Sirius genuinely seemed to be enjoying himself as much as Harry, and it was the most coherency he has shown in the past few days. Which, Remus happily convinced himself, must mean that the medicines, along with the shot Aaron had given Sirius, were doing their work. And if the medicine was working, there was no need to worry about Sirius going to the hospital.
Despite Aaron's warnings, Remus agreed to leave Harry where he was for the afternoon. Both of the bed's occupants seemed exhausted and had settled down for naps soon after lunch.
"He can stay." Remus had agreed to Sirius' hacked pleadings. "But I have to take him back to his crib when Aaron comes this evening to see you. And I don't want any fussing out of you when its time to go." He added, pointing a warning finger at Sirius, then at Harry. "Or you."
The baby stared up at Remus with his large green eyes, then promptly stuck up a hand and flapped 'bye-bye' with his fingers.
"Even the kid doesn't listen to me." Remus sighed quietly.
Sirius laughed softly from his position on the bed, followed immediately by a hacking cough, which was followed by a lot of wheezing.
Remus frowned slightly at the sounds, but said nothing. The medicines were helping, he told himself again sternly. That was the situation he was happiest with. And he wasn't going to let facts interfere.
When Remus had the two settled down, he retired downstairs to his favorite chair before the fire. He glanced quickly at the clock over the mantle. Four o'clock. Aaron would likely be by in a few hours. But in the meantime a short nap certainly wouldn't hurt any.
What seemed like minutes later Remus found himself snapped out of a light doze by a sudden cry.
Actually, a shriek would have been more the word for the sound. Remus jolted out of his chair, glancing quickly again at the clock. It was nearly six o'clock.
Merlin's Beard! He didn't even remember falling asleep. Baby's certainly could tire one out.
Baby's?
Harry!
Suddenly remembering what had woken him in the first place, Remus was already on the stairs when the sound rented the air again. He flew into Sirius' room, expecting to find Harry in some horrible distress and Sirius fussing over him like a mother hen with one chick.
But the scene he met couldn't have confused him more.
Harry was sitting up on the bed next to Sirius, his tiny cheeks wet with tears. Next to him Sirius lay against the pile of pillows with his mouth hanging slightly open, apparently still asleep.
Heavens above! How could the man sleep through such a noise?
Remus walked over and picked Harry up, trying to determine what had caused the child to cry out so suddenly. And so loud.
It was then that he noticed that Sirius wasn't breathing.
In a fit of panic Remus nearly dropped Harry. But depositing him quickly back on the bed, Remus leaned over Sirius and began shaking him and calling his name over and over again.
When Sirius didn't respond, Remus shook him harder and began to yell, trying to get some response out of his friend. But with no success.
With his panic building, Remus pulled back suddenly and slapped Sirius across the face as hard as he could.
But still Sirius didn't respond.
Through all of this Harry had continued to get more and more distressed until he abruptly broke into a wail of tears at the foot of the bed where Remus had left him.
The sound of the infant's cries, along with his own growing panic which was pounding in his ears, nearly caused Remus to miss the sound of the doorbell downstairs.
Remus looked up.
Aaron!
Oh, please heaven, he prayed, let it be Aaron.
Remus flew down the stairs, nearly tripping on the last few as he rushed to the door. Pulling it open, he met the smiling face of Aaron Richards. A look that abruptly turned to puzzlement as the doctor met Remus' stark white face.
Remus grabbed the man by the arm and yanked him inside, thankful he had managed enough sense to close the door before he stammered, "Sirius! Upstairs. He's stopped breathing."
There was no telling where or if the ministry wizards were outside still, or if they might have heard him otherwise.
Aaron rushed up the stairs to Sirius' room, followed closely by Remus.
Harry continued to sit crying on the end of the bed as Aaron rushed to Sirius' side and began checking him.
"How long?" He snapped off quickly as he felt for a pulse.
"I don't know." Remus replied honestly. "I fell asleep downstairs. Harry's cries woke me up three.....maybe four minutes ago. That's when I came upstairs and found him like this."
Aaron had his fingers pressed firmly against the side of Sirius' neck.
"It couldn't have been for very long." He judged. "He still has a pulse. Which he won't for long if we don't get him breathing again."
"Can you help him?" Remus asked frantically. All he could see were the seconds ticking by that his friend wasn't breathing.
"Ever done CPR before?" Aaron asked as he stripped the bed coverings away from Sirius' body.
Remus shook his head.
"Then you're going to learn real fast. Watch and pay attention."
Without further hesitation Aaron tilted Sirius' head back, pinched off his nose, and blew as hard as he could into Sirius' mouth.
Remus watched in tense silence. The response for Aaron's effort was Sirius' chest rising, but only slightly.
Aaron repeated the process over the next several minutes before turning to Remus.
"Your turn." He stated.
"Me!?"
"I can't keep it up much longer by myself, Remus. There's not a lot of capacity left in his lungs for air with the congestion blocking it off. Forcing air into his lungs is like trying to inflate a balloon past it's recommended size. And it'll tire you out fairly quickly. So we'll trade off every few minutes. Now, your turn."
Remus positioned himself where Aaron had been at Sirius' side, and following Aaron's instructions, began to breath for his friend.
Aaron was right. It was like trying to force air into an over-inflated balloon. But on the fifth time, Sirius' body suddenly shook violently.
Aaron grabbed Remus by the back of his robes and pulled him back. He quickly took Remus' place on the bed and rolled Sirius over on his side.
Almost immediately Sirius began coughing up large amounts of blood-tainted phlegm from his lungs.
The situation continued for several more minutes before the coughing subsided enough that Aaron rolled Sirius back over on his back, gasping for air.
"It didn't help him much." Aaron cautioned Remus' relieved expression. "But at least he's breathing on his own again."
Remus turned a worried stare to Aaron. "Now what?"
The doctor turned a stern look on Remus as he pulled up from the bed and stood up to face him.
"Have you listened to one word I said to you when I was here last? He's very sick, Remus. He almost died. Next time he might. He needs to be in a hospital."
Remus doubted that anyone in the world ever heard that word as a death sentence. But to Sirius, as far as he was concerned, it was.
"He can't...." He began.
"He can't stay here!" Aaron stated firmly.
The words seemed to strike a chord with Remus as his expression shifted under a sudden decision.
"You're right, Aaron." He replied after a moment's thought. "He can't. But nor is he going to a hospital. At least not just any hospital."
"Then where would you suggest?"
Remus stared back at the man before him, a hard determination shining in his champagne colored eyes.
"Hogwarts."
Q&A
First up, a general notice.
A LOT of you mentioned the fact that Harry isn't 'acting his age'. The fact of the matter is, P.A.R. has no idea how a year-old-plus baby would act. You see, P.A.R. has no children, doesn't want any, and more to the point, doesn't particularly LIKE children under the age of 18. The only child I ever had any contact with was a few months old about ten years ago. I think the poor thing is still in therapy today.
So, what am I saying here? Bare with me and cut me some slack. There are some severe chronological issues in this story. The biggest is Harry's actual age. By canon he should be about what....fifteen months to two years old right now? In this story he's actually about six to eight months old. So work with me, O.K.?
By the way, I did like Starlight's suggestion that Harry's lack of proper developmental skills being due to all the trauma the child has been through. To a point. And part of Starlight's suggestion may come up a bit later in the story as that I have been informed that even a six to eight month old baby would be doing more than Harry is right now. But give me some time and I'll try to straighten things out. O.K.?
Oh, yes, and the credit for getting Sirius into a sitting position goes to our resident doctor, Apassov.
All right, on with the other answers.
Family Life
ME: Chapter nine wasn't my favorite by far. And although chapter ten had definite possibilities, chapter eleven will forever win out simply for the reasons I stated before. Yes, this was the first chapter I wrote for Family Life. That is why it is my favorite. But I didn't write that story's chapters in order. I worked on story arcs, and then pieced it all together when I felt I was done with the story as a whole. It is also the first fanfiction piece I ever wrote. So it will always be my favorite.
Padfoot's Bone: Yup! You gotta hand it to old Snape. He's a smooth as silk sometimes.
Well, I'm glad you liked Analisa. She's sort of a permanent fixture and she will be showing up in the Sequel and be rather important to things. And I always liked her reason for joining the Deatheaters. If you're going to join something, let's join it for a good reason. Although I do recall Analisa saying that the reason sounded a whole lot better all those years ago.
A lot of people were crazy about that monologue.
And I'm glad you're interested in Sirius' ever-mentioned, but never-met brother, Orion Black. Orion figures very prominently in the sequel and is, in my opinion, not only an interesting character, but probably one of the most complex I've got going right now. He is also one of the main characters of Enemies.
Gwen De'Paul: I'm very pleased you liked it. Feel free to check out my bio page for other stories.
Nicky: *P.A.R. does something that probably insults you, like patting you on the head.* Awwwwwwww, such a nice review. And thank you for the lovely comment about the one chapter. The injury to Sirius' leg was something Harry needed to deal with, which he wasn't. When someone you love gets permanently injured, its sometimes very hard to accept the change in that person, and to realize that in some way, that person is never going to be the same again.
And yes, there is a sequel to this story.
Teigra: Thank you. I appreciate the review.
Voltora: I thought you had read Family Life? Oh well. That should give you something to do while I'm on vacation.
I'm sorry about your Thesaurus...and your brain.
Awwww, you didn't like Moody? I thought I did him pretty well.
Yeah....ummmmm.....chapter sixteen is about as much sex as you're gonna get out of old P.A.R..
Chapters eighteen and nineteen were just for fun. I enjoyed writing them immensely.
Fever
Jayde: Very good detective work. Few people realized the cookies were poisoned.
Ginger Rogers: Thank you. I appreciate my reviews a great deal.
Teigra: If you have questions about it, feel free to ask.
Abby: Thank you. I'm glad you liked the story.
Nicky: Wow! Once you start the reviewing thing, you don't stop!
Anyway, I'm glad you liked that chapter. It was one of the better ones.
child of shadows:*P.A.R. lays her head on the desk.* Oh dear Heaven! The wand thing comes back to haunt me again! *P.A.R. sits back up.* O.K.. The wand thing. The thing is.......little known fact here. Sirius' wand is a 'Homing Wand', and.........oh, never mind, they didn't believe that one the first time either. Fact of the matter is, it was a continuity error that was never quite fixed.
I have a Snape/Lupin story in the works about during their time at school that helps to explain their current relationship as adults. Expect to see it late in the year.
And I'm glad you liked the relationship. It's one of my favorites to write about.
Diamond
Thank you, Lord, that someone is still reading this story!
I love Diamond, and I'm pleased to see it is still chalking up reviews.
Jayde: Thank you!
Semmel: Thank you. And yes, kittens are cute.
Teigra: Thank you for the review.
The Bonds That Tie
Lin-z: MISSED!!!???? I missed you!!!!??????
Well, it was nice of you to review despite my callous disregard to mention you.
Ummmmmmm.......'bout the check thing.........Boy! And you thought you were bitter about being missed?
Wait till that check doesn't come.
Nagini: More? Yes. Age? No.
Come on. Ya'll have more than enough information to make an educated guess.
Zimmy Russell: Don't recall any reviews from anyone named 'Teva'.
As you can see, there's no need to do an 'Unrecognizable Charm' on Sirius this time.
Yeah. Cute's hard to stop once you start.
Hand you a tissue? I'll hand you a whole box. We ain't done with this story yet.
Oh, good. Someone who isn't interested in my age. (Doesn't interest me that much either.)
The 'squirting' yourself thing was the response to a reviewer who commented that they had a gun to their head, then amended it with the gun only being a squirt gun.
Holding out on what, Dear?
Well, the ministry are idiots.
Everybody likes mint!
Oh, I can't wait for the third movie!!!!!!
Checks are how I pay off the blackmailers for forgetting them in the reviews. But as Lin-z can attest to, it just a stall for time.
Yes. I'm sorry to shock you, but P.A.R. has a real job.
vmr: Thank you.
Nicky: I'm just.....stunned! Three separate reviews! Wow!
Anyway, about the 'Sirius killing the Potter's to raise Harry thing'. People have done stranger things, Dear. It's not beyond the realm of possibility. And the doctor doesn't know Sirius, so he's just speculating.
That 'what if' conversation wasn't easy to write either, let me tell you!
About the developmental thing, see the first entry under Q&A.
As you can see, you picked right on one of the places Sirius could go for safety. Well done!
Yup. I think Sirius was just made for daddy-hood. Problem I have with it is, I can easily see Rowling not clearing Sirius' name until the last book. I mean, that's one of her major story arcs. So, by then Harry will be 17. Not much parenting time left after that.
Me: Buddy-girl?
I find nothing wrong with loving Remus. If P.A.R. could find a man like that, P.A.R. wouldn't be looking for a man like that.
WOW! P.A.R. won another gold star! My collection is growing.
I'm working on the 'Harry acting his age' thing. I hope to have things a bit more in line by the end of the story.
Nothing at all wrong with long reviews, Dear.
Now, go back to the top of the page and read the first part again! Poor Dr. Richards! How can you NOT like the man? He hasn't done anything bad.....yet. (And I'm not saying with that that he will, either.).
I wish I could help you out with the time thing. You see, P.A.R. works Sundays right now until four. She gets home about 4:30, and has to make last minute adjustments to the story before putting it up. I'll see what I can do. Sometimes I do manage to post about 5 or 6PM EST. But it's usually more like 9 or 10PM EST.
Yes, Sirius wasn't responding to Harry because he's just that sick.
Remus has always got a plan. Well, almost always. And I don't know about the 'master' part. Just plain logic, really. Man needs a safe place to go. Where's the safest place in the world?
No, no, no, Dear! You have to UNWRAP it first!!!!!!!
*P.A.R. sighs loudly.* Honestly!
Hayleyhedwig 11: P.A.R. loves long reviews, Dear. No problem there. And I wrote science-fiction, mystery, and fantasy-horror.
I try very hard not to miss any Sunday postings. But keep in mind there are things I have no control over, like site crashes and nasty little computer viruses that take your computer out for several days. But I'll see what I can do.
LauraBlade: If you think I'm taking responsibility for that, you're wrong. This story came with a warning for the anguishy-faint people that they were not to read this story. If you did, your nail problem is your own.
Essence Of Magic: I don't know. I guess I'm just used to 'Dumbledore's True Love'. Give me time. Old people don't like new things.
I'll try to critique for you. It depends on time really.
I'm glad the story is going well for you and Whisp.
Remus has never actually said Sirius' name, but Dumbledore gets the idea that he's there.
The ministry is watching the house, as Dumbledore warned Remus from before when he told him not to be alarmed if he saw someone outside the window because the ministry was likely watching the house.
45 isn't a bad guess. You're wrong, by the way......., but not a bad guess.
Teigra: Naw. Harry's a tough little kid. Besides, despite everything Sirius is going through that is reflecting onto Harry, Harry has a new support system now with Remus.
As for getting Sirius a doctor.....'bout time, wouldn't you say?
Starlight: You didn't answer my question from the last time, by the way. Are you Starlight of It's A One Time Thing That Just Happens A Lot?
Anyway, about the age thing, see the first part under Q&A. And as mentioned, your suggestion had a lot of merit and I may incorporate it later. You will, of course, get credit then if not having already gotten it here. And if I fail to do so, just remind me. I do tend, in my old age, to be a bit forgetful.
Kiara O. Lawrence: Plagiarism or no, it keeps me off the streets.
I've seen a lot of stories that had Harry having a godmother as well as a godfather. I think it's a cute idea, if not a simply logical one. So I wouldn't think of that as plagiarism.
Sorry I can't get this up at a more convenient time, but currently its a work issue for me.
Alexa Black: O.K., I'm giving you the Harry remaining extremely cute part.
Liked the rubber dagger, by the way. So much cleaner than a squirt gun, really.
Oh, can't give you the trial part because, remember, Sirius hasn't been accused of anything yet. Just wanted for questioning. It is important to the story.
Taracollowen: No, no. P.A.R. answered your review last time! I'm sure of it!
True enough. There are just some people I can't see as evil. Remus is one and Dumbledore is the other.
The whole review section? Again, I either have to make my Q&A shorter or my stories more interesting.
Purple Ink: Actually, I do have a few more one shots like A Dog's Day in the works. I'm just more of a novel writer than a short story writer. My friends always joked that my opening paragraphs were 5000 words. I was just never able to write short stories. And actually, it really is a gift to be able to. Not many writers can write a really good short story. One of the best I've seen on this site was RavenNats Midnight Visitors.
About Dr. Richards, go read the Author's Notes if you haven't already.
Yes, indeed. Harry is cute.
rupert grint or ronald weasely: Thank you. Nice to see your back.
Padfoot's Bone: Ahhhh, nothing like a nice review to come home to after a long day at work.
Sirius is extremely ill.
O.K., I just HAVE to say something here. Personally, I don't think Dr. Richards would have much trouble facing a werewolf's wrath.
(And that's all I'm sayin'.)
MKH: *Pats on the head.* Awwww, that's O.K.. You're still one of my favorite troublema.........reviewers. Keep me on my toes.
Harry's not talking yet (well, not a lot anyway), because he's a lot younger than canon would make him (see notes under Q&A). Harry didn't start talking until Sirius had him, and then he only learned 'Paf'. It figures into the story, by the way.
And ya' know, you really should only get one shot at P.A.R. each week. But anyway, ya' little troublemaker, Remus has had Harry about four days by the end of this chapter. And maybe unfortunately to some, but I didn't give Remus any additional troubles by adding a full moon to this story. I mean, heavens! Don't you think the poor man has enough problems? It is an interesting idea though.
Black Sparkles: Ha! Didn't make him go to the hospital!
Harry doesn't know Remus. And besides, think of all the poor kid has been through. He's just a little confused about everything right now. All these new people........!
Glad you liked the chapter.
Shinigami: I wouldn't even know where to START writing about a two year old. Although I guess as Harry grows up, I'll have to learn.
Wolf Of Solitude: *P.A.R. stands tossing rotten tomato in her hand. Looks at Wolf, looks at tomato, looks at Wolf, looks at tomato, looks at Wolf, looks at tomato, looks at Wolf.* O.K., let's hear what you have to say.
Ohhhhh, Wolf used the word 'brilliant'. *P.A.R. gets rid of tomato.* P.A.R. likes that word!
Yes, poor Sirius is sick as a.....well, you know.
Fluff......fluff....fluff.......P.A.R. HAS heard that word somewhere before. Don't recall it though.
Lotesse: Goody! Long review!
Go with the two girls. Sounds like a safe bet.
Lotesse doesn't like my story? *P.A.R. doesn't know what to say.*
Oh, come on. And in the books Harry doesn't seem to good to be true?
Aaron doesn't know Dumbledore. Therefore he wouldn't inherently trust the man. I mean, heavens, he KNOWS Remus, and he doesn't trust him completely about the situation.
Dumbledore was always a little questioning about Sirius' role in everything. I mean lets face it, he wasn't acting like an innocent man. But after seeing how Sirius treated Harry and listening to Remus, Dumbledore has come to give Sirius the benefit of the doubt for now and just keep an eye on him. Sorry for the confusion.
Semmel: Goody! Someone who not only doesn't think the doctor is a bad person, but hopes he isn't. Yah!
Sorry, no, the comment about Remus wasn't a hint at anything, just P.A.R.'s making rhetorical comments.
I'm one of your favorites? Ohhhhhhh, thank you! I'm always happy to be a favorite of someone.
Voltora: *P.A.R. sits staring blankly at her computer screen.* WHAT did I DO that you people HATE this man so much!!!??? He hasn't DONE anything!
Can't answer about Sirius. Sorry.
Whisp! Get up here! *Drags Whisp on stage.* Whisp, you never cease to amaze me! Really! I mean, to come up with THAT as the reason Harry was crying. (I just had it in there as it being the first time Sirius never answered his cry as the reason he was so upset by the event.) So ya' little confuzzler, *Slaps gold star on Whip's forehead.* There you go(*)! You get the gold star this week! P.A.R. is most seriously impressed!
And no, you haven't come close to confusing me yet. Sorry. I do believe that post is currently being filled by MKH.
Karla: *P.A.R. sighs to self.* Oh, to heck with it. Go read the author's notes again. I'm not going through this anymore with the doctor thing.
But I will give you points on the reason you thought he would turn Sirius in. Thank you for giving P.A.R. something new to look at. (Tired of just hearing he's a traitor.....bad person....Deatheater....whatever.).
Boy, you're hittin' 'em all, aren't ya'? First the doctor thing. Now the age thing. O.K.. I'm not going to tell you to go read the first part of the Q&A again, because I've already been through this with you. So just re-read that. And yes, I did like Starlight's idea about why Harry is so 'under-developed'. Haven't decided on whether or not to use it. More likely a variation of it.
No, no. Remus wasn't having a nervous breakdown. Just....wouldn't you say he's entitled to one? Especially after this chapter?
And yes, based on this review, you're still holding up as one of my favorite troublemakers.
Summersun: Ohhhhh, always glad to hear from a new reviewer. Don't like suspense, huh? Boy are you reading the wrong story.
Updates are once a week on Sunday, barring unforeseen circumstances.
O.K., reviews are as of 03102002. If I missed, point it out. I care, but no checks. P.A.R. is running low on checks right now and the bank hasn't sent her any new ones yet.
See you next week.