Priorities
Sirius rubbed his eyes wearily. It was already mid-afternoon and he had not slept a wink for the past two days. He was feeling really exhausted and drained. But Sirius' concern was not on himself. He was filled with relief that April was well on her way to recovery. She had been able to get out of bed and even walked slowly back to her own quarters - of course, under Sirius' watchful eyes. He had managed to persuade her to take another nap again, promising her in return that she could join the school in the Great Hall at dinnertime.
Sirius settled down on April's couch and made himself comfortable. Sleep took over the moment his eyes were shut.
*
April was feeling almost as good as new when evening drew closer. She could hardly keep still as she waited for Sirius. He had gone back to his quarters for a quick shower.
She yanked open her door as soon as she heard footsteps outside, and grinned at the surprised look on Sirius' face.
"I had not even knocked. You must really have very sharp ears. Or perhaps you were opening the door to look for me every few seconds?" he said teasingly.
"I had been straining my eyes, Professor Black," she countered, "I'm famished. Let's go now. I can't wait to catch up with the rest!" She had not seen anyone other than Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey and of course, Sirius, since her last encounter with Snape.
"I didn't know that spending a day or two with me and just plain old me was that tough!" Sirius protested in jest.
"I trust you have more self-confidence than to believe that." April quipped, shutting the door and took Sirius' arm as they made their way towards the rest of the school population.
*
Sirius stopped outside the Great Hall.
"Aren't we going in?" April asked, perplexed.
"I've been as out of touch with the school as you are for the past two days. I know that word has gotten around that you have been feeling under the weather, but I have no inkling if the truth of what happened has been leaked."
"That's alright," April said quietly. "I'll just keep to the story that I've been hit by a nasty bout of flu."
"Snape may be inside too." It was hard to keep the bitterness out of his voice.
She swallowed hard before replying. "As long as you sit beside me, I'll be okay."
*
Sirius and April could feel the thick sense of excitement in the air was they entered the Great Hall. The students, especially the Gryffindors, seemed to be in good cheer, toasting one another. Some of the students, including Ron and Hermione, spotted Sirius and April and gave them friendly waves. Sirius' eyes automatically went to Harry, but his godson had looked away quickly. In that split second where he had looked into Harry's green eyes, the older man thought that he saw something that bothered him. Was it anger? No. Worse. It was hurt. Sirius made a mental note to speak to the boy after his meal.
Sirius and April were met with warm and concerned greetings at the staff table. April felt a wave of relief when she noticed that Snape was absent, as she took a seat between Sirius and Professor McGonagall.
"Where's Moody?" she asked the professor. "Sirius told me that he was back at Hogwarts."
"He was only here for a short while, to report some matters to Professor Dumbledore."
"Something's stirring over at the dark side?" April knew that Moody was monitoring the happenings at Azkaban. Dumbledore and Moody were certain that Voldemort might try to rescue his past followers and garner the dementors' support, after Harry's account of what the dark wizard had said at the latter's resurrection.
"Your chief concern now, my child, is to make sure you're strong and healthy. Albus will fill you in on the details when he deems fit."
April thought better than to protest and tucked into her meal with a scowl on her face.
*
"Thanks for taking over my classes," Sirius told Remus, who was seated on his other side.
"Not a problem," Remus replied casually. "April needs you there."
Sirius nodded. Then he remembered the strange look on Harry's face. "I think Harry's acting a little strange today. Did anything happen over the past two days?"
There was a pause before Remus finally answered his question. "He's probably feeling disappointed that you did not turn up today."
Sirius stopped chewing his food. "Turn up where?"
"At his Quidditch match."
Sirius paled. He had promised Harry that he would cheer him on at his first match this year. This was the first time Sirius could be openly present at the stands, and both Harry and himself had been looking forward to the occasion. Sirius was horrified that he had allowed himself to forget completely about the match.
"It slipped your mind?" Remus read his friend's thoughts. "Don't worry. I'm sure Harry will understand. So much has happened over the past two days and you couldn't help it either."
"I've let Harry down," Sirius said regretfully, with a horrible sinking feeling in his stomach.
*
Sirius leapt out of his seat as soon as the dinner session ended.
"Sirius, I need to talk to you," April said before he could hurry away.
"Can this wait?" he snapped irritably at her without meaning to.
"I'll just take a minute of your time."
"All right. Make it quick," he replied impatiently, folding his arms across his chest.
April winced inwardly. Sirius was never this cold towards her. It wasn't fair. It wasn't even her fault! Or was it? "I've decided to return to the Flamel Fortress for a few days."
"What? You couldn't have chosen a worse time to do this to me!" he yelled at her, earning stares from the few teachers and students who remained in the Great Hall.
As April bit her lower lip and turned away, Sirius caught her arm. "I'm sorry," he said in a gentler voice, "I wasn't thinking. I was worried about Harry."
"I know," she replied quietly. "I overheard your conversation with Remus."
"Is that why you're leaving?" He wanted to hug her to him and assure her that there was no need to go.
"You need to spend time with your Harry and I miss my Brandy and Whiskey," she managed a weak smile.
From the corner of his eye, Sirius saw that the group that gathered around Harry had dispersed and the boy was leaving the hall with Ron and Hermione. He knotted his brows, trying to decide if he should go after his godson or stay with his girlfriend.
"Go, Sirius. Catch him before he leaves," April told him sadly.
Sirius watched anxiously as Harry stepped out of the Great Hall, and returned his gaze to April. "Promise me you'll not leave before we have the chance to talk this over," he said with a sense of urgency, eyes boring into hers. "Promise me!" he urged in a commanding voice.
As soon as April nodded, Sirius ran out of the hall in search for the son of his deceased best friend.
*
Sirius soon caught sight of the three friends. He ran up to them, and grabbed Harry's arm. "Come with me," he ordered, pulling the struggling boy into the opposite direction.
"Sirius, what do you think you're doing?" Hermione cried in mixed disapproval and shock.
"We're heading to the Gryffindor Tower for our celebration party!" Ron added.
"I'll return Harry to you guys later," Sirius called over his shoulder as he dragged the boy behind him.
*
"I can walk on my own," Harry said crossly as soon as they turned into another corridor.
Sirius immediately loosened his grip.
"Where are you taking me?" the boy asked in spite of himself.
"Somewhere quiet where we can have a heart-to-heart talk."
"There is no need for that."
"You're angry with me."
"I'm not."
"You are," Sirius insisted.
Harry did not respond, keeping his eyes fixed to the ground.
"Are you afraid to talk things over at my place?"
"Who says I'm afraid?" Harry replied defiantly.
"Good," Sirius muttered and made his way to his quarters. Harry followed obediently, silently berating himself for falling for his godfather's bait.
*
"I'm sorry I forgot," Sirius said as soon as he shut the door after him.
"That's alright."
"I broke my promise. I did not keep my word. I should have been there to cheer you on."
"It's really alright, Sirius," the younger man repeated awkwardly.
"My thoughts were all muddled up when April got hurt. I was just thinking of how I should protect her from further harm and how I could make sure she gets well again."
"I know. I understand," Harry said expressionlessly.
"I was not fair to you, Harry. I was a lousy godfather. Ever since I've cleared my name, I've not really made the effort to spend quality time with you. Instead, I spent my time chasing after April, quibbling with Remus and fighting Snape. I've got my priorities all wrong."
"April is your priority, Sirius. I really understand. You have a right to fight for your own happiness and I had encouraged you to go out with her."
"She is important to me," Sirius admitted. "But so are you, Harry."
Harry saw the sincerity and remorse in his godfather's dark eyes.
"Will you give me another chance, Harry? I swear I'll not disappoint you again."
Harry broke into a smile. It was hard to stay angry with Sirius. "I'll forgive you if you do something for me," he said slyly.
Sirius forgot to be cautious. He was just too relieved that there was a way to make amends. "Sure, what should I do?"
"Follow me to the Gryffindor common room and join in our celebration. We thrashed the Ravenclaws by a hundred-and-fifty-points margin."
***
Please review :)
Coming up in the next chapter: special appearances by Brandy and Whiskey.
ANNE( v )79: Thanks for being so sweet.
Ms. Padfoot: I can't reveal too much…it'll spoil the fun! BTW, did you notice Sirius' goatee in the last chapter?
lildarkkitty: I see that you're enjoying yourself over at Hogwarts Castle! My dorm mates are quieter than yours. :(
Diosa Alexia: You're going to marry Remus? Can I be your bridesmaid please? And remember to ask Remus to get Sirius for the best man, ok?
Katani Petitedra: Thanks :)
SjabRox: I hate Book Five too. I think Book Six will be worse cuz we have to deal with the aftermath of his death. Oh well, there're always fanfics to cheer us up!
phoebe666: I took sometime to update, didn't I? *sigh*
nunnya buiznes: The next chapter will be mixed – half happy and half sad (if I don't change my mind while writing it)
ice-cold-star: let me know when your new chapter is up :)
Star06: She probably likes someone else? Who? Snape?! LOL. I think Sirius stands a higher chance!
Madison Black: It's okay – feel free to vent on other stuff when you review. As long as you're not venting at me, I don't mind! ;)
Fire'N'Ice: Don't burn it! You know, the book is so huge that you can just use it to train your arm muscles ;)
black-cat-on-the-wall: Yup, I've read the fifth book. Now I'm in the midst of reading all five books for the second time.
peachgirl1608: I'm looking forward to November – I'll be taking a little break from work then :)
dogcollar: Yay! Welcome back & thanks for remembering my fic! There'll be more of Snape later in this fic.
Cara: Oh where have you been? If I ask nicely, will you keep reviewing?
Lil Lupin: My 'little surprise' is really quite harmless. Honestly! *puts on an innocent face* I hope you like this chapter – Harry is back into the story again.
LILRKCHK: Will you R&R my other fic? Can I bribe you with a position in the Gryffindor Quidditch team? LOL
moe: Yay! You're the diligent moe now! I'm still considering what to do to Snape. Read on to find out!
OutofAzkaban: I need to find a cliffhanger soon! I'm getting tired of closed endings!
Blueberrie: Yay! A first-time reviewer!
