An: Inspired by the way things should have been. If you read my other stuff, I've been having some writers block lately and the my English teachers have really been piling on the reading, but I'm trying. Without further ado, enjoy.
Ps. It's better if you read the dialogue with an English accent., but that's just my opinion.
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"Siris," Harry whined, putting a small hand to his guardian's chest and attempting to shake him into consciousness. In his other hand he held a stuffed deer by an antler. "Siris…I had a bad dream." Harry explained as his friend opened his eyes.
"Oh really," Sirius asked, watching bemused as the three year old struggled to climb onto the bad, "sorry mate." Harry snuggled himself under Sirius' large, safe arm.
"It was kind of like the last time," Harry sniffed.
"Oh," Sirius let out, deflated. Harry had never been a good sleeper, and Sirius has suspected, but it wasn't until the child was old enough to vocalize what he was feeling that his suspicions were confirmed. Luckily, the nightmares began to cease not long after, but every few weeks Harry would casually report over breakfast that he had had a wonderful dream involving a 'Very pretty lady and a silly man with hair like me.' Every few months, however, Harry would wake in tears, stumble into Sirius' room, telling him of the loud noises while the man pushed the lady up the stairs and horrible green light, something Sirius didn't want the small child to have to relive, nor want to be listening to the recount. Sirius would simply hold the child and tell him that it was all right now and that he's safe and the pretty lady and silly man are in a good place. Of course, Harry only thought Sirius was comforting him, but Sirius never said that it was only a dream.
"This one was different though," Harry revealed. Sirius seemed to be listening, so Harry continued. "The Pretty Lady was holding me and she said that it would be okay and that I shouldn't cry, but I wasn't crying. Then someone screamed and it got all quiet, and the Pretty Lady started to cry a lot. Then there was a bang and a really green light…"
"A scream and silence, ay?" Sirius ventured, "What do you think that was?"
Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. It made me really sad."
"Yeah," Sirius agreed quietly. At only twenty-four, Sirius was almost a child himself, and the memories were still fresh in his mind. "Well it's all over now right, mate. You've got me; you're safe here with me. Let's sleep now, right?"
"Right," Harry nodded, snuggling down into the covers.
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"Sirius! What are you teaching him?" Lily demanded from the kitchen.
"Why nothing, Lily, girl. What exactly do you think of me?" James stifled a laugh, and Sirius helped Harry to do the same.
"James!" Lily cried.
"Yes, love?"
"James, make him stop," she begged.
"Why must I?" he asked innocently.
"He's your friend," she shot back, still out of eyesight of the trio.
"Lily, you hurt me," Sirius cried out.
"Remus?" Lily asked, turning to her last hope.
"Well, uh…you see Lilly," Remus' eyes shot back between his friends. "Well they're only- ouch Padfoot that hurts." Two booming laughs filled the room followed by one small giggle; Remus only scowled.
Finally Lily emerged, her hair in a mess set into a low ponytail. She sat on the floor between Sirius and James, rubbing her head into the latter's shoulder. "You're helping your friend to corrupt my baby," she complained, beckoning to the child.
"But Mommy," Harry protested, "Daddy's more fun when Siris is around."
James scowled at his friend and Sirius laughed, giving the little boy the high five signal as he crawled into his father's lap.
"Come on Harry," she called, standing up.
"Mommy," the child whined, clinging ever tightly to his father's strong arm.
"Aw, come on Lily," James protested, "it's barely eight-twenty."
"Five minutes before his bed time," she shot back.
"Maybe it's time for a new bed time," Sirius piped up. Lily's eyes moved from James to him, burning like the fires of hell. "Hey," he defended, "I'm only his godfather."
"Lily…Moony's here. You know that he won't be coming out as much as he used to." At this, Harry peeked out from under James' arm, grinning at the other man in the room. Lily looked to Remus, who, despite always remaining neutral, seemed to have a hopeful glint in his eye.
"Well…" she began, first looking at Harry then at the floor, "I guess if Remus is here…"
"Aw…that's the spirit Lily," Sirius pronounced, spreading his arms wide. "Now come over here and give ole' Sirius a hug. Lily grinned at him concernedly and settled herself into James' recently vacated arms. She pecked him on the cheek and leaned back, sighing in contentment.
"Sorry Sirius, but I'm afraid I fancy your friend," she stated.
"Yeah well I never really liked you that much anyway," he confessed in mock indifference, "the only reason I've ever tolerated you, truth be told, is for Prongsy here. I don't know if he could even function properly without you. I can't have a non-functioning best friend, can I?" he laughed.
She reached out, and shoved him. "Oh, you'll regret that, Black," she sneered.
"Will I now?" he laughed, looking at James.
James nodded sadly, "Sorry Sirius," he joked, nudging Lily with his cheek, "but I'm afraid I fancy your friend."
"Oh that's it, mate!" Sirius declared, standing up.
After gently repositioning Lily, James also rose. "Oh…you don't have to tell me when it's it…I know exactly when it's it!" James laughed, pulling out his wand.
"Every time…" Lily muttered, but Sirius only raised his wand…
Sirius launched up, gasping and covered in a cold sweat. Looking around, he recognized his room in his house. Sitting up, he lowered his head, attempting to clear his mind of all thoughts. Walking to his closet, he pulled out a peeling, graying white box from the bottom shelf, removing a few blankets and trinkets that had been hiding it from sight. Looking in, he saw stacks of pictures, moving around of course. There was Sirius shoving James and Remus around, attempting to take center stage in the frame. Off to the side was another with all the Maurauders. Lily was clinging to James' neck, every now and then giving a soft kiss on his cheek, Sirius was mocking him, and Remus kept shoving him and directing him to shut up. Smirking, Sirius removed another, of James and Lily by the lake. It had been rather cold that day, cold and dry and windy, and Lily was huddled under James' shoulder hogging his blanket. Sirius remembered taking that picture vividly.
He had received the camera for Christmas from one of his quidditch teammates as a joke, and he was getting as much use out of it as possible. It was after Christmas. That year, Remus was staying at Hogwarts, and Lily was remaining as well, so James bargained with his parents such that he and Sirius could stay also. It was in seventh year, and, for some reason, most everyone had gone home that year. It had been only them, two sisters from Hufflepuff, and three random people from Ravenclaw. It was two, no three, days before New Years, and the four seventh years were spending their day outside, despite the terrible weather and mad looks they got from the teachers when crossing the grounds. It wasn't snowing, because then it would have been a little romantic for Sirius' taste, but the grass was frozen, iced over. Most of the exposures on the film had been wasted tormenting Remus or letting James show off, but that one had been wonderful. Lily couldn't get over how good it came out, something Sirius never let her forget.
Taking that picture, he walked down the hall, venturing into his godson's room. Not long after he walked in, the boy shifted and blinked. "Siris?" He froze, hoping that the five year old would roll over and continue on with his REM, but, much to Sirius' dismay, he sat up more, squinting in his general direction. Sighing, Sirius approached the child, kneeling next to his bed. "Did you have a bad dream?" he asked his godfather.
"Yea….yeah. I had a bad dream." Sirius understood Harry's thought. He watched Harry make room as he realized that the child was mimicking his own actions.
"I'm sorry," Harry mumbled, gladly lying down next to his godfather. Sirius was now well aware that a five-year-old child was comforting him in wake of a nightmare. "What was in it?"
"Oh, I think it might be a little hard for you to understand," Sirius sighed, not wanting to start the subject of his parents' death now, this late at night, nut knowing that time was soon coming. "It wasn't scary, really, just…sad. It was a bit of a shock for me."
"Oh," Harry whispered, deflated, "well it's all right now?"
"Right."
"Good."
"Have I ever told you about your mum?" he asked Harry. Harry sleepily shook his head, not being able to remember all the times that Sirius had, of course, told him of his parents.
"Oh, she was lovely," Sirius sighed, the image of her messy hair still fresh in his mind. "But fun, and responsible, and very stern… hmm…. I brought you something," he mumbled, holding out the picture. "I found it and I thought that it would look nice in here."
Harry held the picture as if it were a treasure, careful not to let his fingers touch the shiny surface or bend the corners. "This man looks like the Silly Man," Harry remarked, squinting up at Sirius, "sort of."
"What about the lady?" he asked. "Do you recognize her?"
"A little," Harry mumbled, "sort of. She's pretty."
"Yes, very much so. That's your mum and dad, you know," he revealed.
"Oh," the child mumbled drowsily, clearly nodding off. "Siris?"
"Yeah kid?"
"Are you still scared?"
"I'm feeling better now, thanks," he whispered.
"If you're still scared, you can stay in my bed," Harry offered, his eyes closed now.
"I think I'll do that." The child didn't say anything, but repositioned himself in order to use Sirius's arm as a pillow. "Harry?"
Harry yawned.
"You're my best mate, you know that?"
"… m' best mate t'," the boy mumbled, struggling to cling to consciousness.
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I know that there are some pretty sick people out there, and I'm just going to take this opportunity to say: don't be a perv. Harry is 5. Didn't your parents ever tuck you in at night? Didn't you ever have a bad dream and find your way to your parents room and convince them to let you stay in their bed that night?
Now, if you are not one of the suck people that should pay attention to the last paragraph, please don't. All in all, I thought it was sweet. It was just my little perspective of the way it should have been via Sirius's dream. Anyway, hope you like it.
