Chapter 31, I've gone over my limit. The next chapter may be the last, or
there may be two more. I want to give the story complete closure, so I'll
make it as long as necessary. I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as
I did!
Sirius stood in the center of the living room, his wand pointed directly at Lucius Malfoy, but ready to switch to Jacob Whitman if need be.
"What are you going to do Black? Kill me?" Lucius asked.
"If you give me a reason...I'll spare you if you both leave now," Sirius yelled.
"I'm afraid that's not going to happen. We're here for the boy and we're not leaving until we get him."
"You'll never get Harry. Voldemort couldn't do it and you can't either."
"Oh, but I can, and I will. That boy caused by lords downfall twice, as well as got my son expelled from school! I will not see him live! Expelliarmus!"
Sirius's wand flew out of his hand and he was thrown back against the couch and hit his head against the wall. At the sound Sorai came out of the bathroom tears streaming down her face.
"What the Hell is going on here?!"
Sirius was shaking his head and trying to clear his vision. Sorai rushed over to him.
"What's going on Sirius?"
"Your 'man' let Lucius into the house and now he wants to kill Harry. Nice going!" Sirius spat bitterly.
"I'm so sorry," she mouthed. Sirius just glared back at her.
"How could you?" she moaned to Jacob.
He laughed evilly and said, "Did you think I was really interested in you? Silly girl, I was just doing a favor for an old friend. Don't feel bad though, I actually enjoyed our relationship, at least some parts of it," he added with a very suggestive look.
"Oh God!" she moaned. She started bawling right there until she fell over. Jacob stunned her.
"Wow that bitch gets annoying!"
"Right, lets go get the kid," Lucius demanded. Jacob nodded and they headed for the stairs. Sirius pushed himself off the couch and ran ahead of them, blocking the way up the stairs.
"No!" Sirius yelled.
"Don't make me kill you Black, I don't have to. There only has to be one death today."
"I'll never let you get Harry."
"Maybe a little pain will make you change your mind, crucio!"
Sirius grabbed the railing on the stair and fell to his knees. Trying to keep up his barricade on the stairs. He was yelling in pain.
Upstairs Harry stood the second he heard the first scream. "I have to go to him Remus!"
"Harry, no. You need to stay right here. That's just what they want, for you to go out there."
"Remus, they'll kill him! I can't just sit here and let them do that to him!" Harry started jogging out of the room. Remus dove and grabbed his leg, bringing Harry face down on the floor.
"Let go! I have to help Sirius! It's me they want, not him!"
"You're not going anywhere, Harry!"
Harry kicked back and forth and finally freed his leg. He leapt to his feet and ran out the door. Remus got up and chased him. They both came to a silent stop at the top of the stairs and peered down. Sirius was barely sitting up, thrashing and screaming in pain. Jacob and Lucius were both standing in front of him with wide grins.
He first pointed his wand at Lucius who was torturing Sirius and whispered, "Expelliarmus." Lucius's wand and Sirius's were both in his hand in seconds. The downside was that his presence had been discovered. Lucius immediately grabbed Jacob's wand and pointed it up at Harry. It looked like he was going to disarm Harry then, but Harry didn't give him the chance.
"Avada Kedavra!" Harry yelled at the same instance that Lucius began to say expelliarmus. Lucius keeled over onto Sirius, who with the little energy he had left pushed him off. Remus looked at Harry in shock. Harry slowly descended the stairs and glared at Jacob.
"If you don't leave now, I'll do the same to you. I'm not afraid."
Jacob looked up at Harry in awe. He gave one look at his fallen companion and paled visibly. He then ran out of the house dragging Lucius's dead body behind him. Remus went down and made sure he left the premises.
Harry ran down the remaining steps and knelt next to Sirius.
"Are you okay, Sirius?"
Sirius nodded, and whispered, "Thank you."
"Anytime," Harry mumbled before hugging Sirius tight.
Sirius felt that Harry was shaking like a leaf.
"It's over bud, we survived again, are you okay?"
"I killed someone Sirius, I'm no better than any of those deatheaters. I'm no better than Voldemort!"
"Yes you are Harry! You're one thousand times better then them! They kill meaninglessly. You killed to save my life and your own! Harry, you were heroic there, you're not a murderer!"
"Yes I am, Sirius....I just took someone's life!"
"Harry, was there any other way out?"
"Maybe..."
"Think, can you think of any other way?"
"No."
"Then you did the right thing! Harry, even an act like that, killing someone, can be the right thing. You killed under the circumstances where it was the right thing."
Harry shook his head.
"It's alright Harry, you did nothing wrong."
"Then why do I feel like I deserve to go to Hell?"
"Because you've always been told that killing another person is a mortal sin...but it's different in this case. You killed to save the lives of others!"
Harry didn't say anything else, so Sirius was hopeful that he had gotten through to him. He could never be sure though.
Sirius rubbed Harry's back soothingly and looked up at Remus, "Is he gone, Rem?"
"As far as I can see..." Remus said, turning away from the window. He looked into the living room at Sorai on the floor and went to her side. He enervated her and she immediately began crying again.
"I'm so sorry," she moaned. Remus helped her sit up and pulled her into a comforting hug.
"It's okay," Remus muttered into her hair. Sorai sobbed into his shoulder and he rubbed her back.
Sirius wanted to go over there and give her a piece of his mind, but he decided she was already in enough pain, maybe later. Rather he rubbed Harry's back until his shakiness ceased. He pulled away from Sirius and stood up. Sirius tried to as well, but immediately fell over, hitting his back hard on the stairs. "Owww," he moaned.
"Are you alright?" Harry asked concerned.
"I think-I think I need some help. Think you can get me upstairs?"
Harry nodded and helped pull Sirius to his feet. Sirius threw his arm over Harry's shoulder and slowly guided him up the stairs. He stumbled a lot, but eventually they made it to the top. Harry helped Sirius limp to his bedroom and then helped him climb into bed.
"Do you need anything, Sirius?" Harry asked.
Sirius shook his head. "Just keep me company until I fall asleep."
Harry nodded and sat on the edge of Sirius's bed.
"So much for a peaceful vacation, huh bud? I'm really sorry about this."
"It's not your fault Sirius. It's..." Harry bit his tongue before saying what he was thinking.
"I know, I know, Sorai's. She's going to get a piece of my mind pretty soon. It's not going to be pretty."
Harry nodded, not knowing what to say.
"We still have a while to make this vacation good though. We should be fine from here on out."
Sirius nodded in agreement and smiled. The smile turned sour though, and Sirius flinched in pain. "I don't know how you could handle this pain so many times bud...I feel like rolling over and dying right now, this hurts so bad!"
Harry smiled sadly. "It hasn't been easy....do you want me to go see if Remus has anything to make the pain go away...or that will let you sleep?"
Sirius contemplated and then nodded, "I think there's some sleeping potion somewhere...can you get me some of that?"
Harry nodded and got up. He found Remus still comforting Sorai. She was crumpled in his arms on the floor. Harry smiled sadly at him.
"Is she asleep?" Remus whispered. Harry peered around her and saw that indeed she was.
"Yeah, she's asleep."
"Good," he said, pushing her away. He grabbed a pillow from the couch and gently eased her onto it. He then stood up and asked, "How's Sirius?"
Harry shrugged. "He's in a lot of pain."
"And how about you?"
"I just killed someone, that's hard to deal with...but, I'm okay, I guess."
Remus nodded and patted Harry's shoulder.
"Sirius was wondering if you could get him some sleeping potion."
"Yeah, sure, I don't have the good kind, but I have some, hold on."
Harry sat on the couch while Remus walked to the bathroom. He came out after a few moments with a small vial of blue liquid. "Have him drink the whole thing."
"Thanks," Harry said and then started up the stairs again. When he reached Sirius's room, he heard a soft snoring. He walked in and saw Sirius sound asleep already. He had no use for the sleeping potion. Harry sat the vial down on the bedside table and watched Sirius sleep. He pulled the blankets high up on Sirius and just sat there, feeling guilty. If it hadn't been for him, Sirius wouldn't be in the position he now was in. He wouldn't have had to suffer under that curse. For a long time, he just sat there, until he realized how late it was. He couldn't believe that earlier that same day he had been at the closing feast at school.
After he once again fixed the blankets on Sirius, Harry left the room. He wandered down to the kitchen and got a glass of water. On the way back he met Remus in the living room. He was covering Sorai with a blanket.
"You really do like her, don't you Remus?"
Remus just shrugged, blushing slightly. "I don't really know Harry. When we were young I had a crush on her, but now...I really don't know."
Harry nodded. "Well, it's late, I'm going to bed."
"I think I am too."
"Night," Harry said and hugged him.
"Night Harry."
Harry trotted up the stairs with his glass of water and crawled into bed. He slept soundlessly through the night.
He woke the next morning before everyone else. He got dressed in warm clothes and then went downstairs. After making himself a bowl of cereal he dug through a closet and found boots that fit him. He threw on an old parka he found as well and walked out the back door. Slowly, he walked through the yard and into the woods until he found the place Sirius had shown him the previous summer. He perched on the rock he always sat on when he went there and looked at the frozen stream.
As he sat he contemplated all that he had been through that school year. It was by far the best year he ever had, despite the events that had transpired. Harry thought about how at one point he literally wanted to give up and die, and he was now so thankful that he had decided to fight rather than give up. Everything was finally going to be alright. There was still one Malfoy out there, Draco, but Harry felt he could handle him. He hoped that Draco Malfoy would learn from the mistakes of his father and Lord Voldemort that trying to kill Harry Potter was simply a bad idea. Harry truly hoped that after all this people would finally leave him alone. He imagined a life where he wasn't famous, as he sat looking out at the beautiful settings in a complete trance.
Back in the house, Sirius had just gotten out of bed. He still felt the pain, but he had enough strength to get from point A to point B. It just hurt a whole lot, he was very sore. He walked downstairs and was surprised not to see Harry up and milling around. It was pretty late. He made himself some breakfast and then went back up stairs to look for Harry. When he found that his godson was not in his bed, he got worried.
Sirius ran as fast as his sore legs would carry him to Remus's room. Remus was just stretching and getting out of bed when Sirius came running in.
"What are you doing?" Remus asked confused.
"I can't find Harry! Have you seen him?"
Remus shook his head. "I'm sure he's fine Sirius, I mean, he's not a little kid."
"Yeah, well after last night, I want to know where he is at all times! I have to know where he is!"
"Calm down Sirius, okay. Having a heart attack isn't going to help anything, alright?"
Sirius nodded impatiently.
"Where have you looked?"
"Downstairs and in his room."
"Are you sure he's not in the bathroom?"
Sirius nodded again, "I would have heard him."
Remus looked a little worried now too. "Okay let's go look for him." He quickly through on sweatpants and a sweatshirt and headed out of the room. Sirius followed. They searched every room in the house, and found no sign of him. They were really getting panicked by this point. Sirius yanked the front door open and stepped out, completely barefoot and wearing a short sleeve shirt.
"Harry!" he yelled over and over, but got no response. Then he went to the back door and sighed in relief. There were footprints in the heavy snow heading straight for his favorite place. He should have known. Sirius shut the backdoor and started rubbing his arms. "Remus, I know where he is, it's okay!"
Remus strode over to where Sirius was shivering and said, "Where is he?"
"That place by the stream. I showed it to him a little after you were taken away. I think I'm going to go see him."
Remus nodded. "I'll wait in here. Do you want anything for when you get back?"
"Cocoa would be nice," Sirius said smiling.
"Sure thing."
Remus then went to the kitchen and made himself breakfast. Sirius sat on a bench near the door and bundled up before going outside. He was still in a lot of pain, but he wanted to go out there anyway. Every step he took the pain got worse and worse, but he continued on. He was relieved to see Harry bundled up on a rock when he got out there.
Sirius climbed onto the rock next to Harry, and he didn't snap out of his trance. Sirius put his hand on Harry's shoulder and only then was his presence known.
"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed. "How long have you been here?"
"I just got here bud, what are you up to?"
"Just thinking...how do you feel?"
"Like I was just under the Cruciatus curse."
Harry grinned.
"I'll be alright. How about you?"
"Much better," Harry said. "I just hope that everything will be okay...I have a few doubts about it...but, I think things are going to finally start looking up."
"Me too."
"Remus and I thought we lost you this morning...we were really worried."
"I'm so sorry...I should have told you I was out here...or left a note."
"It's okay, we, shouldn't worry so much, particularly me. It's just, you know with what happened last night, kind of scared us not knowing where you were."
"I'm sorry."
"It's really fine, don't worry about it."
Harry nodded. "I'm getting cold. Want to head back?"
"Yeah," Sirius replied.
Harry hopped down and Sirius carefully slipped off the rock. They walked back at an abnormally slow pace. Harry had to take purposeful baby steps so that Sirius could keep up. When he literally couldn't walk as slow as Sirius anymore he turned to him. Sirius had a strained look on his face, and his jaw was clenched.
"Are you okay Sirius?" he asked.
Sirius nodded.
"Are you sure? We can take a break."
"No, no," Sirius wheezed. "I can do this."
"Sirius, I know what it's like, how it just takes everything out of you...you don't have to pretend here."
"Lets just go Harry," Sirius said, beginning to take his tiny steps again. Harry reluctantly followed as slow as he could. He kept himself a small distance behind Sirius. Helplessly, he watched Sirius collapse into the snow. He dropped to his knees next to him and helped him sit back up.
"I need some help, bud," Sirius muttered sadly.
"I can see that," Harry said. "Come on." Harry stretched out his hand and helped Sirius stand up. Sirius put his arm over Harry's shoulders and leaned on him. They slowly made there way back to the house. With Harry's support he could take longer strides as his tired legs didn't have to hold as much weight. When they made it inside Harry didn't bother to kick of his boots, he just helped Sirius to the couch as quickly as he could. He performed a drying spell on Sirius and picked up a blanket from the floor and threw it at him.
"Thanks bud," Sirius said snuggling into it. Harry then went back towards the door and took off all his gear. He then joined Sirius on the couch and took the other end of the blanket.
"Feel better?"
Sirius shook his head as Remus entered the room and said, "I feel like Wile E. Coyote after he has the cliff fall on him...you know what I'm talking about?"
Harry laughed and nodded. Remus distributed mugs of cocoa and sat down in a nearby recliner. They sat and talked for a while and then had a chess tournament, just like the previous summer. It was a great way to pass the time. While they were in the middle of the last game Sorai came wandering down stairs. This was when everyone forgot about chess.
The moment Sirius took one look at his sister he began shaking with rage. Sorai saw this and drew back slightly. Remus gave her a look of pity and Harry bit his lip.
"So," Sirius said, looking at her demandingly.
"I'm really sorry Sirius, I didn't know...I mean..."
"You didn't know...but yet, you gave him free reign to the house anyway? Everything was set up perfectly so that what happened yesterday could never happen, but you let it happen Sorai," Sirius said in a voice so calm and low it was scary. Sorai looked more than scared of her brother, she looked terrified.
"I know, Sirius, I shouldn't have done it. I'm so sorry!"
"I could have been killed, Sorai, Harry could have been killed. Remus could have been killed. YOU could have been killed! What the hell is wrong with you?!"
Sorai started crying and looked completely ashamed. "I don't know what's wrong with me Sirius...I'm just so, so, so sorry. Please forgive me."
"I don't think I can Sor...after what you did...how could you not have known that that was a stupid thing to do? How?"
Sorai just shook her head and continued to cry. "What can I do?"
"There's nothing you can do! You've already done enough! How could you have been so stupid?! I can't get over this stupidity, I just can't!"
Sorai cried even harder and both Remus and Harry were starting to feel bad. Sirius kept the stern look on his face.
"Sirius, give it a rest, okay?" Remus said quietly.
Sirius turned to him so quickly with an expression as though Remus had just plunged a sword into his heart. The expression soon turned to anger, fiercer than that he had shown towards his sister.
"Why don't you just go fuck her and be done with it, huh Moony?!" Sirius yelled.
Harry gasped and Remus turned ashen. "That's enough Sirius!" he yelled and stormed out of the room. Sorai didn't even notice any of it. She just kept sobbing and repeating over and over again how sorry she was. Sirius buried his face in his hands and sighed deeply. Harry just sat there not having a clue what to do.
Finally, Sorai realized she was not going to be forgiven and ran back upstairs to her bedroom, leaving just Harry and Sirius in the living room.
After a while Sirius looked up sadly. He turned to Harry and said, "I'm sorry I lost it like that bud."
Harry smiled meekly, "It's not me you need to apologize to."
Sirius nodded and shook his head. "I will apologize to Rem...but I can't forgive her for what she did...I can't."
"Well maybe you don't have to...but you really should stop yelling at her like that. I'm sure she feels bad enough as it is."
"I know, it's just...it was so stupid! And it could have been prevented so easily!"
Harry nodded but didn't say a word. He picked up the chess board and pieces and set it aside and then got up.
"You do me a favor bud?" Sirius asked.
"What?"
"Can you get Remus so I can apologize? I really shouldn't have said what I said. He probably hates me right now, and I'd rather end that as soon as I can."
Harry nodded and stood up. He ran up the stairs and then knocked on Remus's closed door. When he didn't get an answer he opened it a crack and peered in. Remus was sitting on the floor with his back against his bed. His elbows rested on his knees and his forehead was pressed into his palms. Harry walked in and sat next to him on the floor.
"Are you alright?" Harry asked quietly.
There was silence for a little while until Remus mumbled, "I can't believe he said that."
"I couldn't either. He didn't mean to though, he was just mad...I think he's sorry."
"I mean, what did he expect? I wouldn't let him drill on anyone like that...it's just cruel."
Harry nodded but didn't say a word.
"Gah!" Remus yelled, kicking the ground.
Harry smiled sympathetically. "Well if it makes you feel any better, he felt bad about it the second you left. He wants to see you right now."
Remus contemplated it for a minute. "I guess, since the guy can't walk." He stood and left the room. Harry then went to his own room and wrapped the Christmas gifts he had purchased.
Downstairs, Sirius looked up the moment he heard Remus coming down. Remus had a very tense expression when he appeared at the bottom and Sirius looked nervous at the sight of him. Remus walked to the center of the room and stood there silently with his arms crossed over his chest.
Sirius grinned sheepishly and cleared his throat. "I'm really sorry about what I just said, Moony...really, really sorry. I was just so angry with Sorai, and you standing up for her only made it worse. I didn't mean what I said, it just came out. Please forgive me."
"Padfoot, why can't you just believe when I say I'm not interested in your sister?"
"I don't think you're seriously in love with her Moony, I just remember when you used to have a thing for her. I'm usually not serious about it. What I said though, that was just because you were taking her side and not mine...I was being really immature, huh?"
Remus nodded.
"Sorry Moony."
"It's okay Padfoot," Remus said plopping down next to Sirius. "Just do not say anything like that again, okay? Especially not in front of Sorai and Harry. I don't think I could have possibly been more embarrassed."
"I promise, I'll be good," Sirius said in a childish voice. Remus laughed and hit him with a pillow.
"I have another request," Remus said.
Sirius flinched, figuring he knew what it was.
"Could you take it easy on your sister? I know she did a very, very bad thing...but she knows it was wrong. I'm not saying you have to forgive her for it, but you really should stop the verbal harassment."
Sirius sighed loudly and was about to speak when he was interrupted.
"Don't worry about it, you won't get the chance. I'm leaving before I can put you all in danger ever again."
"Sorai, don't..." Remus started, but Sirius stopped him.
"So that's how it's going to be, huh? You're just going to run away? You're going to hide from the issues? Because you know what, Sorai? This can be resolved. I'm sure in the distant future, if we do this right, we'll be as close as ever. But if you leave now, it will never get better, we'll become estranged... see, I have other family...you on the other hand do not. Remus and Harry are here for me, always. All you have is me."
Tears shone in his sisters eyes again, but he kept up the firm gaze on her.
"I don't want to be any more of a bother...like you said, I put all of you at risk. I'm too stupid to live here, I'll just screw it all up again."
Sirius rolled his eyes in slight annoyance. "Sorai, if you just ask before you make changes you'll be all set. I don't want you to leave, and I'm sure Remus and Harry don't either. I'm mad as Hell at you still, but I don't want to see you go. I know I'll get over this, someday...and then I'll regret seeing you leave. We're family Sor, we're supposed to stick together through thick and thin. So don't go, lets stick together and work this out. I promise not to have any outbursts like this morning, I was being a jerk. Do you want to try to work it out?"
Sorai nodded, her chin quivering. She dropped the bags she was holding and rushed into her brothers arms. He didn't seem to want the hug, but was kind enough to at least briefly wrap his arms around her.
Remus smiled at Sirius who smirked back.
"Thank you Sirius," she muttered, drying her eyes.
"Your welcome, just don't do anything like this again, please."
She nodded.
"Why don't you go bring your stuff back upstairs."
"Okay," she whispered and re-gathered her things. Once she was out of sight Sirius punched the couch.
Remus just shook his head with a smirk.
"Do you know how hard that was Rem?"
"I can imagine. You did good Padfoot."
"I just hope it wasn't a mistake."
"It shouldn't be, I really think she learned her lesson."
"Yeah, yeah...I really am sorry Remus...I would have decked you if you said that to me."
"Well yeah, it's you sister," Remus joked.
"Ha, ha, ha, you know what I mean. Thanks for taking it so well."
"Yeah, well I do know your temper."
Sirius nodded and then yawned. "What time is it? I'm so *yawn* tired."
"It's about five."
"Okay, well I think I'm going to go to bed."
Remus laughed, "Alright old man."
Sirius glared good naturedly and then said, "Can you help me get upstairs?"
"Sure, kind of funny the role reversal here, huh? Harry and I helping you, you're usually the one doing the helping."
"I definitely prefer being on the other side."
Remus nodded and helped Sirius off the couch and upstairs.
Once Sirius was sitting on his bed he sighed and said, "I can't believe I can't even walk."
"Well if you recall you could walk until you outdid yourself this morning. You can start from scratch tomorrow and fully recover in time for Christmas."
Sirius nodded, his eyelids feeling heavy. He buried himself in the covers and closed his eyes before murmuring, "Night Moony, thanks."
"Night Sir," Remus said as he walked out of the room and turned off the lights, though it didn't darken the room as the sun was still out. Remus walked down the hall to Harry's room. He found him sitting on his bed, a stack of wrapped presents below him. He was deeply engaged in a Care of Magical Creature Book.
"Hey, Harry, whatcha up to?"
"Jump start on this Care of Magical Creatures assignment. She's definitely no Hagrid, she actually has tests," Harry moaned.
"Trust me, she's better than the one we had when we were at Hogwarts."
Harry just smiled.
"I was wondering if you wanted to come watch a movie with me, Sirius called it an early night."
"Sure," Harry said marking a page in his book. "How'd it go with Sirius?"
"It went well...we're fine. I even got him acting civil with Sorai."
"That must have been a feat."
"It wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be. Deep down he doesn't want to be mad at her at all."
Harry nodded as he got off his bed. "So what are we going to watch?"
"It's called Happy Gilmore. Ever heard of it?"
"I heard it was good, Seamus saw it I think."
Harry climbed off his bed and went downstairs. He made himself comfortable on the couch under the blanket he had given to Sirius earlier. Remus went to make popcorn and then popped the video in and sat down with Harry. They watched it together laughing hysterically the entire time. It was the most time the two had spent together since the summer. Since before Remus went away, and they both savored the time. When the movie was over they played a couple rounds of chess together, and then talked for a while. It was time spent together that they really needed. Remus was right when he realized that he had missed out on a lot. It was time for him to make up for it.
They both went up to bed well after midnight. Harry fell asleep instantly, but Remus stayed up for a while thinking. He was definitely happy with the way things turned out, despite Sirius's outburst. He was happy knowing that things would go back to normal. They could have the happiness that they had shared for a couple of weeks over the summer.
Please review and tell me what you think. Next week is vacation, so this story will probably be completely over by the end of next week. But don't worry, I'll be back with a story which I plan to call, "In the Shadows" or something along those lines. If you already know of a story with that title, please alert me!
Sirius stood in the center of the living room, his wand pointed directly at Lucius Malfoy, but ready to switch to Jacob Whitman if need be.
"What are you going to do Black? Kill me?" Lucius asked.
"If you give me a reason...I'll spare you if you both leave now," Sirius yelled.
"I'm afraid that's not going to happen. We're here for the boy and we're not leaving until we get him."
"You'll never get Harry. Voldemort couldn't do it and you can't either."
"Oh, but I can, and I will. That boy caused by lords downfall twice, as well as got my son expelled from school! I will not see him live! Expelliarmus!"
Sirius's wand flew out of his hand and he was thrown back against the couch and hit his head against the wall. At the sound Sorai came out of the bathroom tears streaming down her face.
"What the Hell is going on here?!"
Sirius was shaking his head and trying to clear his vision. Sorai rushed over to him.
"What's going on Sirius?"
"Your 'man' let Lucius into the house and now he wants to kill Harry. Nice going!" Sirius spat bitterly.
"I'm so sorry," she mouthed. Sirius just glared back at her.
"How could you?" she moaned to Jacob.
He laughed evilly and said, "Did you think I was really interested in you? Silly girl, I was just doing a favor for an old friend. Don't feel bad though, I actually enjoyed our relationship, at least some parts of it," he added with a very suggestive look.
"Oh God!" she moaned. She started bawling right there until she fell over. Jacob stunned her.
"Wow that bitch gets annoying!"
"Right, lets go get the kid," Lucius demanded. Jacob nodded and they headed for the stairs. Sirius pushed himself off the couch and ran ahead of them, blocking the way up the stairs.
"No!" Sirius yelled.
"Don't make me kill you Black, I don't have to. There only has to be one death today."
"I'll never let you get Harry."
"Maybe a little pain will make you change your mind, crucio!"
Sirius grabbed the railing on the stair and fell to his knees. Trying to keep up his barricade on the stairs. He was yelling in pain.
Upstairs Harry stood the second he heard the first scream. "I have to go to him Remus!"
"Harry, no. You need to stay right here. That's just what they want, for you to go out there."
"Remus, they'll kill him! I can't just sit here and let them do that to him!" Harry started jogging out of the room. Remus dove and grabbed his leg, bringing Harry face down on the floor.
"Let go! I have to help Sirius! It's me they want, not him!"
"You're not going anywhere, Harry!"
Harry kicked back and forth and finally freed his leg. He leapt to his feet and ran out the door. Remus got up and chased him. They both came to a silent stop at the top of the stairs and peered down. Sirius was barely sitting up, thrashing and screaming in pain. Jacob and Lucius were both standing in front of him with wide grins.
He first pointed his wand at Lucius who was torturing Sirius and whispered, "Expelliarmus." Lucius's wand and Sirius's were both in his hand in seconds. The downside was that his presence had been discovered. Lucius immediately grabbed Jacob's wand and pointed it up at Harry. It looked like he was going to disarm Harry then, but Harry didn't give him the chance.
"Avada Kedavra!" Harry yelled at the same instance that Lucius began to say expelliarmus. Lucius keeled over onto Sirius, who with the little energy he had left pushed him off. Remus looked at Harry in shock. Harry slowly descended the stairs and glared at Jacob.
"If you don't leave now, I'll do the same to you. I'm not afraid."
Jacob looked up at Harry in awe. He gave one look at his fallen companion and paled visibly. He then ran out of the house dragging Lucius's dead body behind him. Remus went down and made sure he left the premises.
Harry ran down the remaining steps and knelt next to Sirius.
"Are you okay, Sirius?"
Sirius nodded, and whispered, "Thank you."
"Anytime," Harry mumbled before hugging Sirius tight.
Sirius felt that Harry was shaking like a leaf.
"It's over bud, we survived again, are you okay?"
"I killed someone Sirius, I'm no better than any of those deatheaters. I'm no better than Voldemort!"
"Yes you are Harry! You're one thousand times better then them! They kill meaninglessly. You killed to save my life and your own! Harry, you were heroic there, you're not a murderer!"
"Yes I am, Sirius....I just took someone's life!"
"Harry, was there any other way out?"
"Maybe..."
"Think, can you think of any other way?"
"No."
"Then you did the right thing! Harry, even an act like that, killing someone, can be the right thing. You killed under the circumstances where it was the right thing."
Harry shook his head.
"It's alright Harry, you did nothing wrong."
"Then why do I feel like I deserve to go to Hell?"
"Because you've always been told that killing another person is a mortal sin...but it's different in this case. You killed to save the lives of others!"
Harry didn't say anything else, so Sirius was hopeful that he had gotten through to him. He could never be sure though.
Sirius rubbed Harry's back soothingly and looked up at Remus, "Is he gone, Rem?"
"As far as I can see..." Remus said, turning away from the window. He looked into the living room at Sorai on the floor and went to her side. He enervated her and she immediately began crying again.
"I'm so sorry," she moaned. Remus helped her sit up and pulled her into a comforting hug.
"It's okay," Remus muttered into her hair. Sorai sobbed into his shoulder and he rubbed her back.
Sirius wanted to go over there and give her a piece of his mind, but he decided she was already in enough pain, maybe later. Rather he rubbed Harry's back until his shakiness ceased. He pulled away from Sirius and stood up. Sirius tried to as well, but immediately fell over, hitting his back hard on the stairs. "Owww," he moaned.
"Are you alright?" Harry asked concerned.
"I think-I think I need some help. Think you can get me upstairs?"
Harry nodded and helped pull Sirius to his feet. Sirius threw his arm over Harry's shoulder and slowly guided him up the stairs. He stumbled a lot, but eventually they made it to the top. Harry helped Sirius limp to his bedroom and then helped him climb into bed.
"Do you need anything, Sirius?" Harry asked.
Sirius shook his head. "Just keep me company until I fall asleep."
Harry nodded and sat on the edge of Sirius's bed.
"So much for a peaceful vacation, huh bud? I'm really sorry about this."
"It's not your fault Sirius. It's..." Harry bit his tongue before saying what he was thinking.
"I know, I know, Sorai's. She's going to get a piece of my mind pretty soon. It's not going to be pretty."
Harry nodded, not knowing what to say.
"We still have a while to make this vacation good though. We should be fine from here on out."
Sirius nodded in agreement and smiled. The smile turned sour though, and Sirius flinched in pain. "I don't know how you could handle this pain so many times bud...I feel like rolling over and dying right now, this hurts so bad!"
Harry smiled sadly. "It hasn't been easy....do you want me to go see if Remus has anything to make the pain go away...or that will let you sleep?"
Sirius contemplated and then nodded, "I think there's some sleeping potion somewhere...can you get me some of that?"
Harry nodded and got up. He found Remus still comforting Sorai. She was crumpled in his arms on the floor. Harry smiled sadly at him.
"Is she asleep?" Remus whispered. Harry peered around her and saw that indeed she was.
"Yeah, she's asleep."
"Good," he said, pushing her away. He grabbed a pillow from the couch and gently eased her onto it. He then stood up and asked, "How's Sirius?"
Harry shrugged. "He's in a lot of pain."
"And how about you?"
"I just killed someone, that's hard to deal with...but, I'm okay, I guess."
Remus nodded and patted Harry's shoulder.
"Sirius was wondering if you could get him some sleeping potion."
"Yeah, sure, I don't have the good kind, but I have some, hold on."
Harry sat on the couch while Remus walked to the bathroom. He came out after a few moments with a small vial of blue liquid. "Have him drink the whole thing."
"Thanks," Harry said and then started up the stairs again. When he reached Sirius's room, he heard a soft snoring. He walked in and saw Sirius sound asleep already. He had no use for the sleeping potion. Harry sat the vial down on the bedside table and watched Sirius sleep. He pulled the blankets high up on Sirius and just sat there, feeling guilty. If it hadn't been for him, Sirius wouldn't be in the position he now was in. He wouldn't have had to suffer under that curse. For a long time, he just sat there, until he realized how late it was. He couldn't believe that earlier that same day he had been at the closing feast at school.
After he once again fixed the blankets on Sirius, Harry left the room. He wandered down to the kitchen and got a glass of water. On the way back he met Remus in the living room. He was covering Sorai with a blanket.
"You really do like her, don't you Remus?"
Remus just shrugged, blushing slightly. "I don't really know Harry. When we were young I had a crush on her, but now...I really don't know."
Harry nodded. "Well, it's late, I'm going to bed."
"I think I am too."
"Night," Harry said and hugged him.
"Night Harry."
Harry trotted up the stairs with his glass of water and crawled into bed. He slept soundlessly through the night.
He woke the next morning before everyone else. He got dressed in warm clothes and then went downstairs. After making himself a bowl of cereal he dug through a closet and found boots that fit him. He threw on an old parka he found as well and walked out the back door. Slowly, he walked through the yard and into the woods until he found the place Sirius had shown him the previous summer. He perched on the rock he always sat on when he went there and looked at the frozen stream.
As he sat he contemplated all that he had been through that school year. It was by far the best year he ever had, despite the events that had transpired. Harry thought about how at one point he literally wanted to give up and die, and he was now so thankful that he had decided to fight rather than give up. Everything was finally going to be alright. There was still one Malfoy out there, Draco, but Harry felt he could handle him. He hoped that Draco Malfoy would learn from the mistakes of his father and Lord Voldemort that trying to kill Harry Potter was simply a bad idea. Harry truly hoped that after all this people would finally leave him alone. He imagined a life where he wasn't famous, as he sat looking out at the beautiful settings in a complete trance.
Back in the house, Sirius had just gotten out of bed. He still felt the pain, but he had enough strength to get from point A to point B. It just hurt a whole lot, he was very sore. He walked downstairs and was surprised not to see Harry up and milling around. It was pretty late. He made himself some breakfast and then went back up stairs to look for Harry. When he found that his godson was not in his bed, he got worried.
Sirius ran as fast as his sore legs would carry him to Remus's room. Remus was just stretching and getting out of bed when Sirius came running in.
"What are you doing?" Remus asked confused.
"I can't find Harry! Have you seen him?"
Remus shook his head. "I'm sure he's fine Sirius, I mean, he's not a little kid."
"Yeah, well after last night, I want to know where he is at all times! I have to know where he is!"
"Calm down Sirius, okay. Having a heart attack isn't going to help anything, alright?"
Sirius nodded impatiently.
"Where have you looked?"
"Downstairs and in his room."
"Are you sure he's not in the bathroom?"
Sirius nodded again, "I would have heard him."
Remus looked a little worried now too. "Okay let's go look for him." He quickly through on sweatpants and a sweatshirt and headed out of the room. Sirius followed. They searched every room in the house, and found no sign of him. They were really getting panicked by this point. Sirius yanked the front door open and stepped out, completely barefoot and wearing a short sleeve shirt.
"Harry!" he yelled over and over, but got no response. Then he went to the back door and sighed in relief. There were footprints in the heavy snow heading straight for his favorite place. He should have known. Sirius shut the backdoor and started rubbing his arms. "Remus, I know where he is, it's okay!"
Remus strode over to where Sirius was shivering and said, "Where is he?"
"That place by the stream. I showed it to him a little after you were taken away. I think I'm going to go see him."
Remus nodded. "I'll wait in here. Do you want anything for when you get back?"
"Cocoa would be nice," Sirius said smiling.
"Sure thing."
Remus then went to the kitchen and made himself breakfast. Sirius sat on a bench near the door and bundled up before going outside. He was still in a lot of pain, but he wanted to go out there anyway. Every step he took the pain got worse and worse, but he continued on. He was relieved to see Harry bundled up on a rock when he got out there.
Sirius climbed onto the rock next to Harry, and he didn't snap out of his trance. Sirius put his hand on Harry's shoulder and only then was his presence known.
"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed. "How long have you been here?"
"I just got here bud, what are you up to?"
"Just thinking...how do you feel?"
"Like I was just under the Cruciatus curse."
Harry grinned.
"I'll be alright. How about you?"
"Much better," Harry said. "I just hope that everything will be okay...I have a few doubts about it...but, I think things are going to finally start looking up."
"Me too."
"Remus and I thought we lost you this morning...we were really worried."
"I'm so sorry...I should have told you I was out here...or left a note."
"It's okay, we, shouldn't worry so much, particularly me. It's just, you know with what happened last night, kind of scared us not knowing where you were."
"I'm sorry."
"It's really fine, don't worry about it."
Harry nodded. "I'm getting cold. Want to head back?"
"Yeah," Sirius replied.
Harry hopped down and Sirius carefully slipped off the rock. They walked back at an abnormally slow pace. Harry had to take purposeful baby steps so that Sirius could keep up. When he literally couldn't walk as slow as Sirius anymore he turned to him. Sirius had a strained look on his face, and his jaw was clenched.
"Are you okay Sirius?" he asked.
Sirius nodded.
"Are you sure? We can take a break."
"No, no," Sirius wheezed. "I can do this."
"Sirius, I know what it's like, how it just takes everything out of you...you don't have to pretend here."
"Lets just go Harry," Sirius said, beginning to take his tiny steps again. Harry reluctantly followed as slow as he could. He kept himself a small distance behind Sirius. Helplessly, he watched Sirius collapse into the snow. He dropped to his knees next to him and helped him sit back up.
"I need some help, bud," Sirius muttered sadly.
"I can see that," Harry said. "Come on." Harry stretched out his hand and helped Sirius stand up. Sirius put his arm over Harry's shoulders and leaned on him. They slowly made there way back to the house. With Harry's support he could take longer strides as his tired legs didn't have to hold as much weight. When they made it inside Harry didn't bother to kick of his boots, he just helped Sirius to the couch as quickly as he could. He performed a drying spell on Sirius and picked up a blanket from the floor and threw it at him.
"Thanks bud," Sirius said snuggling into it. Harry then went back towards the door and took off all his gear. He then joined Sirius on the couch and took the other end of the blanket.
"Feel better?"
Sirius shook his head as Remus entered the room and said, "I feel like Wile E. Coyote after he has the cliff fall on him...you know what I'm talking about?"
Harry laughed and nodded. Remus distributed mugs of cocoa and sat down in a nearby recliner. They sat and talked for a while and then had a chess tournament, just like the previous summer. It was a great way to pass the time. While they were in the middle of the last game Sorai came wandering down stairs. This was when everyone forgot about chess.
The moment Sirius took one look at his sister he began shaking with rage. Sorai saw this and drew back slightly. Remus gave her a look of pity and Harry bit his lip.
"So," Sirius said, looking at her demandingly.
"I'm really sorry Sirius, I didn't know...I mean..."
"You didn't know...but yet, you gave him free reign to the house anyway? Everything was set up perfectly so that what happened yesterday could never happen, but you let it happen Sorai," Sirius said in a voice so calm and low it was scary. Sorai looked more than scared of her brother, she looked terrified.
"I know, Sirius, I shouldn't have done it. I'm so sorry!"
"I could have been killed, Sorai, Harry could have been killed. Remus could have been killed. YOU could have been killed! What the hell is wrong with you?!"
Sorai started crying and looked completely ashamed. "I don't know what's wrong with me Sirius...I'm just so, so, so sorry. Please forgive me."
"I don't think I can Sor...after what you did...how could you not have known that that was a stupid thing to do? How?"
Sorai just shook her head and continued to cry. "What can I do?"
"There's nothing you can do! You've already done enough! How could you have been so stupid?! I can't get over this stupidity, I just can't!"
Sorai cried even harder and both Remus and Harry were starting to feel bad. Sirius kept the stern look on his face.
"Sirius, give it a rest, okay?" Remus said quietly.
Sirius turned to him so quickly with an expression as though Remus had just plunged a sword into his heart. The expression soon turned to anger, fiercer than that he had shown towards his sister.
"Why don't you just go fuck her and be done with it, huh Moony?!" Sirius yelled.
Harry gasped and Remus turned ashen. "That's enough Sirius!" he yelled and stormed out of the room. Sorai didn't even notice any of it. She just kept sobbing and repeating over and over again how sorry she was. Sirius buried his face in his hands and sighed deeply. Harry just sat there not having a clue what to do.
Finally, Sorai realized she was not going to be forgiven and ran back upstairs to her bedroom, leaving just Harry and Sirius in the living room.
After a while Sirius looked up sadly. He turned to Harry and said, "I'm sorry I lost it like that bud."
Harry smiled meekly, "It's not me you need to apologize to."
Sirius nodded and shook his head. "I will apologize to Rem...but I can't forgive her for what she did...I can't."
"Well maybe you don't have to...but you really should stop yelling at her like that. I'm sure she feels bad enough as it is."
"I know, it's just...it was so stupid! And it could have been prevented so easily!"
Harry nodded but didn't say a word. He picked up the chess board and pieces and set it aside and then got up.
"You do me a favor bud?" Sirius asked.
"What?"
"Can you get Remus so I can apologize? I really shouldn't have said what I said. He probably hates me right now, and I'd rather end that as soon as I can."
Harry nodded and stood up. He ran up the stairs and then knocked on Remus's closed door. When he didn't get an answer he opened it a crack and peered in. Remus was sitting on the floor with his back against his bed. His elbows rested on his knees and his forehead was pressed into his palms. Harry walked in and sat next to him on the floor.
"Are you alright?" Harry asked quietly.
There was silence for a little while until Remus mumbled, "I can't believe he said that."
"I couldn't either. He didn't mean to though, he was just mad...I think he's sorry."
"I mean, what did he expect? I wouldn't let him drill on anyone like that...it's just cruel."
Harry nodded but didn't say a word.
"Gah!" Remus yelled, kicking the ground.
Harry smiled sympathetically. "Well if it makes you feel any better, he felt bad about it the second you left. He wants to see you right now."
Remus contemplated it for a minute. "I guess, since the guy can't walk." He stood and left the room. Harry then went to his own room and wrapped the Christmas gifts he had purchased.
Downstairs, Sirius looked up the moment he heard Remus coming down. Remus had a very tense expression when he appeared at the bottom and Sirius looked nervous at the sight of him. Remus walked to the center of the room and stood there silently with his arms crossed over his chest.
Sirius grinned sheepishly and cleared his throat. "I'm really sorry about what I just said, Moony...really, really sorry. I was just so angry with Sorai, and you standing up for her only made it worse. I didn't mean what I said, it just came out. Please forgive me."
"Padfoot, why can't you just believe when I say I'm not interested in your sister?"
"I don't think you're seriously in love with her Moony, I just remember when you used to have a thing for her. I'm usually not serious about it. What I said though, that was just because you were taking her side and not mine...I was being really immature, huh?"
Remus nodded.
"Sorry Moony."
"It's okay Padfoot," Remus said plopping down next to Sirius. "Just do not say anything like that again, okay? Especially not in front of Sorai and Harry. I don't think I could have possibly been more embarrassed."
"I promise, I'll be good," Sirius said in a childish voice. Remus laughed and hit him with a pillow.
"I have another request," Remus said.
Sirius flinched, figuring he knew what it was.
"Could you take it easy on your sister? I know she did a very, very bad thing...but she knows it was wrong. I'm not saying you have to forgive her for it, but you really should stop the verbal harassment."
Sirius sighed loudly and was about to speak when he was interrupted.
"Don't worry about it, you won't get the chance. I'm leaving before I can put you all in danger ever again."
"Sorai, don't..." Remus started, but Sirius stopped him.
"So that's how it's going to be, huh? You're just going to run away? You're going to hide from the issues? Because you know what, Sorai? This can be resolved. I'm sure in the distant future, if we do this right, we'll be as close as ever. But if you leave now, it will never get better, we'll become estranged... see, I have other family...you on the other hand do not. Remus and Harry are here for me, always. All you have is me."
Tears shone in his sisters eyes again, but he kept up the firm gaze on her.
"I don't want to be any more of a bother...like you said, I put all of you at risk. I'm too stupid to live here, I'll just screw it all up again."
Sirius rolled his eyes in slight annoyance. "Sorai, if you just ask before you make changes you'll be all set. I don't want you to leave, and I'm sure Remus and Harry don't either. I'm mad as Hell at you still, but I don't want to see you go. I know I'll get over this, someday...and then I'll regret seeing you leave. We're family Sor, we're supposed to stick together through thick and thin. So don't go, lets stick together and work this out. I promise not to have any outbursts like this morning, I was being a jerk. Do you want to try to work it out?"
Sorai nodded, her chin quivering. She dropped the bags she was holding and rushed into her brothers arms. He didn't seem to want the hug, but was kind enough to at least briefly wrap his arms around her.
Remus smiled at Sirius who smirked back.
"Thank you Sirius," she muttered, drying her eyes.
"Your welcome, just don't do anything like this again, please."
She nodded.
"Why don't you go bring your stuff back upstairs."
"Okay," she whispered and re-gathered her things. Once she was out of sight Sirius punched the couch.
Remus just shook his head with a smirk.
"Do you know how hard that was Rem?"
"I can imagine. You did good Padfoot."
"I just hope it wasn't a mistake."
"It shouldn't be, I really think she learned her lesson."
"Yeah, yeah...I really am sorry Remus...I would have decked you if you said that to me."
"Well yeah, it's you sister," Remus joked.
"Ha, ha, ha, you know what I mean. Thanks for taking it so well."
"Yeah, well I do know your temper."
Sirius nodded and then yawned. "What time is it? I'm so *yawn* tired."
"It's about five."
"Okay, well I think I'm going to go to bed."
Remus laughed, "Alright old man."
Sirius glared good naturedly and then said, "Can you help me get upstairs?"
"Sure, kind of funny the role reversal here, huh? Harry and I helping you, you're usually the one doing the helping."
"I definitely prefer being on the other side."
Remus nodded and helped Sirius off the couch and upstairs.
Once Sirius was sitting on his bed he sighed and said, "I can't believe I can't even walk."
"Well if you recall you could walk until you outdid yourself this morning. You can start from scratch tomorrow and fully recover in time for Christmas."
Sirius nodded, his eyelids feeling heavy. He buried himself in the covers and closed his eyes before murmuring, "Night Moony, thanks."
"Night Sir," Remus said as he walked out of the room and turned off the lights, though it didn't darken the room as the sun was still out. Remus walked down the hall to Harry's room. He found him sitting on his bed, a stack of wrapped presents below him. He was deeply engaged in a Care of Magical Creature Book.
"Hey, Harry, whatcha up to?"
"Jump start on this Care of Magical Creatures assignment. She's definitely no Hagrid, she actually has tests," Harry moaned.
"Trust me, she's better than the one we had when we were at Hogwarts."
Harry just smiled.
"I was wondering if you wanted to come watch a movie with me, Sirius called it an early night."
"Sure," Harry said marking a page in his book. "How'd it go with Sirius?"
"It went well...we're fine. I even got him acting civil with Sorai."
"That must have been a feat."
"It wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be. Deep down he doesn't want to be mad at her at all."
Harry nodded as he got off his bed. "So what are we going to watch?"
"It's called Happy Gilmore. Ever heard of it?"
"I heard it was good, Seamus saw it I think."
Harry climbed off his bed and went downstairs. He made himself comfortable on the couch under the blanket he had given to Sirius earlier. Remus went to make popcorn and then popped the video in and sat down with Harry. They watched it together laughing hysterically the entire time. It was the most time the two had spent together since the summer. Since before Remus went away, and they both savored the time. When the movie was over they played a couple rounds of chess together, and then talked for a while. It was time spent together that they really needed. Remus was right when he realized that he had missed out on a lot. It was time for him to make up for it.
They both went up to bed well after midnight. Harry fell asleep instantly, but Remus stayed up for a while thinking. He was definitely happy with the way things turned out, despite Sirius's outburst. He was happy knowing that things would go back to normal. They could have the happiness that they had shared for a couple of weeks over the summer.
Please review and tell me what you think. Next week is vacation, so this story will probably be completely over by the end of next week. But don't worry, I'll be back with a story which I plan to call, "In the Shadows" or something along those lines. If you already know of a story with that title, please alert me!