By: Sailoranime
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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.
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" Fine. It's your choice, Sirius." Remus finally answered. Sirius sighed buried his face in his hands.
" If you are going to talk to Fudge, then I recommend we go now." Dumbledore said softly. Sirius stood up and followed him out. Harry wanted to jump up and tell him not to go, but strangely enough, he was embarassed that Black seemed to care about him. And he really didn't want to make him feel awkward. Plus Harry was sure Dumbledore wouldn't let anything happen to him.
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Despite having been away from the school for so many years, the path to the Headmaster's office was forever burned into Sirius's memory. Dumbledore was walking quietly, looking as if he was battling with himself. Sirius almost jumped when he finally spoke.
" Sirius, there's something you need to know about Harry." Sirius stopped and whirled around to face Dumbledore.
" Is there something wrong with him?" Dumbledore shook his head.
" No. Not really," Dumbledore began. Sirius looked relieved. " Harry has had a very difficult childhood. He's never had a real family. His relatives don't show him affection, they view him as something of an inconvenience."
" So why is he still living with them?"
" Because it is safest for him there. Voldemort... he had many supporters. Many of them were never caught. If I chose to place Harry with a wizarding family, I'd have to be sure that they were truly on our side. If one of the Order had turned on us... many others outside of it could have too. Perhaps choosing his only living relatives was not the best thing in the world to do, but that's what happened. I don't know if you noticed... but did it strike you as odd that Harry got attached to you so quickly?"
"He's not really attached to me."
" I can assure you that he is, Sirius." Dumbledore said firmly. " There is something that worries me about that. Harry is very intelligent and has a good sense of right and wrong, but he has one weakness. Harry is bound to get attached to anyone who shows the slightest bit of affection for him. Perhaps I am reading into it too much, but I believe years of living with people who he thinks don't love him has affected him a great deal. He is starved for affection. If the wrong person were to come along and exploit this weakness... I think you understand what I'm trying to say."
Sirius nodded.
" Good. If you plan to take Harry to live with you once you are cleared, then you must know all of this. He is not a normal boy, but he longs for a normal family in a normal home."
" I don't see how that can be too much of a problem, and I can't really see how it can be fixed, but you know I'll do my best to fulfill my responsibilities." Sirius answered rather stiffly.
" I'm not quite sure you understand, Sirius. If Harry thinks you are offering a home because you have to and not because you want to, he won't accept. He'll feel like a burden. And he will be hurt because he'll think you never really cared for him at all."
Sirius took a deep breath. " You know what I want most is to start over again and have Harry live with me." Dumbledore smiled.
" Good. I was just making sure you knew."
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Short chappie, I know. I've been wanting to write that down for a while now. It has taken me too long to update my stories because of school. I wanted to put in that little exchange because I thought it was... you know, vital. Other than that little scene, though, this story will be written more like the books where we only see things Harry sees. Oh, well... insert the usual pleas for reviews here. ^_^
Just a little reminder about Marauder Mayhem We are a guild on neopets.com under the account sailor_melody dedicated to the Marauders. Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. Come join now. ^_^ OR just drop me a neomail sometime if you feel like chatting. ^_^