Chapter Three
Harry gripped onto Sirius's hand for dear life, looking up at the woman who was smiling pleasantly down.
"You must be Harry!" The woman - who Sirius said was Mrs. Weasley - said, motioning for the two boys to come inside.
"Hello," Harry said quietly, feeling a bit more relaxed as Sirius squeezed his hand lightly in a reassuring way.
"Oh, dear, you must meet my Ron. He's the same age as you, dear, and he'll be attending Hogwarts with you, too," Mrs. Weasley
explained. A little boy with red hair and freckles stepped out from behind his mother, a grin on his face.
"I'm Ron. You're Harry. Mum told me you'll be coming to spend the day with us," the boy said energetically.
"Yeah," Harry replied. "I am." He looked at Mrs. Weasley, who kept her wary gaze on Sirius.
"You okay, kiddo?" Sirius asked, squatting so he was the same height as Harry. Harry nodded.
"Yeah, are you and," he dropped his voice to whisper, "are you and Remus going to be all right?" Sirius grinned and ruffled Harry's hair, making it even messier than it already was.
"Of course, kiddo. Don't worry about me and Remus," he replied, startled when Harry wrapped his arms around his neck, but immediately relaxed and hugged the boy back.
"So," Mrs. Weasley started, "Mr. Black. Where are you going that you had to leave Harry here and not take him with you?" she questioned, putting on her best innocent face. Sirius scowled, standing back up to his full height.
"I'm not leaving Harry. I'll be back tomorrow; and where I go is none of your business," he replied coolly. Mrs. Weasley stood rigid, her face cold and hard.
"Very well," she said curtly. Harry stood awkwardly in the Weasley house, saying a quiet 'goodbye' to Sirius and giving him a small grin.
"So, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said more enthusiastically as Sirius left. "Why don't we get Ron to show you around the house? By then super will probably be ready."
"So what Quidditch team do you like?" Ron asked Harry, making their way up to Ron's bedroom. "I'm a Chudley Cannons fan, myself. Have been for awhile now." Harry shrugged.
"I don't know," he admitted. "I haven't been to a Quidditch game yet."
"That's right," Ron said, nodding his head in understandingly. "You were raised by muggles, weren't you?" Harry scowled at the thought of the Dursley's. Sirius had told him what muggles meant, so he didn't feel addled. "Are you glad Sirius Black adopted you?" Ron asked suddenly. "Or would you rather stay with the muggles?"
"Of course I'm glad Sirius adopted me!" Harry exclaimed almost immediately. "And I never want to stay with the Dursley's again. Never ever. They were horrible guardians."
Ron opened his mouth to say something, but Mrs. Weasley's voice interrupted them."Supper!"
… The Next Day at breakfast in the Weasley household …
Harry slowly looked around at the Weasley's who were already up and seated at the dinner table. A chorus of 'Good morning, Harry' startled him from his thoughts.
"Sleep well, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked, pulling out an extra chair for Harry to sit on.
"Yes, thank you," Harry said truthfully. He had thought he would be up all night worrying about his godfather, but thankfully he wasn't, and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Harry looked at the pile of food on the table. Pancakes, cereal, toast, bacon, eggs…
"Eat up, dear," Mrs. Weasley said with a kind smile, "we'll be going to Hogwarts after. We don't want to go on an empty stomach."
"Hogwarts?" echoed a perplexed Harry. Sirius had told him all about Hogwarts, but why were they going there?
"Yes, dear. That's where Remus and Sirius are," Mrs. Weasley replied, her eyes turned cold and hard at the thought of Sirius. "Though I have no clue why they're there."
"They're at Hogwarts? Are they alright?" Harry asked quickly, his eyes wide with worry.
"Don't worry, Harry, dear," Mrs. Weasley replied with a smile. She turned to the rest of her family and said, "Hurry up and eat so we can all go to check on Remus and Sirius."
… … …
Harry felt sick after he arrived at Hogwarts with the Weasley's. He had never traveled by 'floo powder' before, and it made his stomach feel queasy.
"Can you show me where the Hospital is, Mrs. Weasley?" Harry asked.
"Of course. Everyone, follow me!" Mrs. Weasley instructed as she took the lead.
Harry warily entered the Hospital Wing to find a pale looking Remus laying down on one of the beds.
"Is Remus going to be all right?" Harry asked to anyone who would answer him.
"'Course, kiddo," came a familiar, light voice. Harry knew that voice anywhere, and it helped when the voice added 'kiddo.'
"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed happily, running into Sirius's outstretched arms.
"Miss me?" Sirius asked with a grin.
"Of course," Harry replied with a happy grin.
Mrs. Weasley looked at Sirius sharply. "What happened to Remus?" She demanded.
"Uh...he had a little accident last night," Sirius said quickly, with a shrug. "That's why he's here." Mrs. Weasley narrowed her eyes suspiciously and opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Sirius. "Thank you for looking after Harry, I appreciate it."
"Oh, thank you for letting me stay at the Burrow, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said with one of his famous grins.
"Anytime, Harry," Mrs. Weasley responded, her cold eyes still fixed on Sirius.
Ron said 'goodbye' as they left the Hospital Wing, everyone else chorusing the same as they left.
"I'm glad you're back, Padfoot. Is Moony going to be OK?" Harry asked, looking at the unconscious Moony.
"Yeah. Turning to a wolf really tires old Moony out," Sirius responded, looking at his friend. "Why don't we take a tour of Hogwarts, considering you're going to be attending this school in four years."
Harry's eyes widened. "Can we? Really?"
Sirius nodded, grinning. "Really, Harry."
"Wow," Harry finally said. He really couldn't find the right words to say. His eyes shone as Sirius took Harry's hand and led him into Hogwarts, school of witchcraft and wizardry.
… … …
"We need to get rid of him," Voldemort hissed impatiently. "We need to get rid of Black. That way, it'd leave Potter vulnerable. Vulnerable enough for me to dissspossse of him; for good, thisss time." He paused. "Would you be able to get the job done, Luciusss?"
"Certainly, my Lord," came Lucius Malfoy's thoughts swiftly from beneath his cape."Shall it be done tonight?"
"No," Voldemort mused. "Two days, perhaps?"
"Very well, my Lord," Lucius said smugly. "In two days Black will be dead - just like you wish."
… … …
Harry's eyes snapped open, and he let out a yelp. He still saw black - his eyes didn't adjust to the dark yet.
"Harry?" Sirius's voice came closer. "Harry, are you all right? What's wrong, Harry?"
"I don't want you to die," Harry moaned, his head buried in Sirius's chest, making his voice muffled. Sirius's brow furrowed.
"Die? I'm not going to die, Harry."
"We have to leave, Sirius," Harry said, looking into Sirius's eyes. "We have to leave now. They're coming to get you, Sirius, and then me. Please, Sirius, promise me that tomorrow we'll leave." Sirius studied Harry for a minute, before pulling the boy into a hug.
"I promise, kiddo. I promise that we'll leave tomorrow morning, as long as you promise me that you'll tell me what's going on." Harry nodded his head repeatedly.
"I promise, Sirius. I promise."
… … …
A/N: Thank you for the reviews so far, and thank you athenakittyfor, the, er, suggestions? Anyway, I think I have a pretty good idea of what I'll write for future chapters! So, review and tell me what you think. I'll post the next chapter soon.