A/N: I know I promised to make this HPSB, but I think I'm going to leave it as a cutesy Harry/Sirius bonding fic. It's still of course dedicated to EnglishMuffin2 because she can write all these awesome HPSB stories, but unfortunately I won't be writing one. Why? Several reasons, among which are the facts that more people will be able to enjoy this story without any pairings, I will be able to write this better without any romance, and I just think that shipless fics are rare and often the best. My absolute favorite fic here is Never Alone, Never Again by Bored Beyond Belief and I really wish I could write something like that. When I first started writing HP fanfiction my intention was to write bonding fics like that so here we go!
For anyone who wants to pity me, I'm looking for good Harry and Sirius bonding stories. If it's a good slash then those too but I haven't been able to find any good bonding ones so if anyone wants to suggest some I'd love you for it.
Disclaimer: I don't own any HP related, just this poor excuse of a fanfic.
X: And so you shall my friend! Sorry if you wanted romantic relations, but I think Harry and Sirius bonding is the cutest and I hope you do too. Thanks for reviewing!
EnglishMuffin2: I am so sorry about the whole let down on romance. I hope you'll understand. I was sooooo thrilled to see you review my story! I was like star struck! I'm glad you liked what I've written so far and I really hope you still enjoy what is to come despite the change in plans. Anyways, I'm so psyched to hear from another Perks fan! Like no one I know has read that book so it's great to hear that I'm not the only one who has a cult like obsession with it!
Elanastar: You sounded really excited about the HPSB, so I hope you too can still enjoy it without the romance. Thank you so much for your kind words! Not to mention for telling EnglishMuffin about this whole deal!
Padfoot n' Moony: Haha, I am working on it. I am pretty slow at updating so you can't expect too much from me. Plus, I have finals right now that are killing me! Eep! Thanks for the review, and love your pen name!
SecondhandGirl: I'm pretty bad at leaving things sit for months without updates, but I am planning on continuing this so no fears. Thanks so such for the kind words!
Asleep
Chapter 2
'Kill the spare...Avada Kedavra..."
...Eyes as blank as the windows of a deserted house...Marble headstone...Tom Riddle...'Let it drown'...Voldemort...Cruciatus Curse...'That hurt, didn't it Harry?'...'Harry, obedience is a virtue I need to teach you before you die'...'Hold on Harry'...'Your father's coming...hold on for your father...it will be alright...hold on...'...'Harry...take my body back, will you? Take my body back to my parents'...'Cedric Diggory! Dead!'...'Harry, you can't help him now. It's over. Let go.'...
Harry Potter could have been dead, if not for the shaking in his sleep that made him appear to be having a seizure. He no longer whimpered or screamed during his dreams or lapses, his voice as torn up as his back and arms now. The scene around him could only confirm that...the floor that he laid upon with smears of blood on it and uprooted boards where he'd dug at unconsciously. The boards themselves still had parts of his fingernails embedded in them and if you looked closely enough you could see dead skin also decorating the floor.
Besides from the shaking, Harry Potter had not moved in three days now. This time the Dursley's did nothing. They had left his door open a crack, and at night when his room was dark and only a sliver of light from the hallway would be admitted into his room, they would walk past and see only what that little light would allow. A part of a wound on his head, or a lock of gray hair amongst the black, or sometimes even an eye cracked open. Those eyes had lost their pigment now. Petunia had to sneer at that. No longer did Harry Potter have his mother's startling eyes. Vernon only shook his head at the boy, and Dudley didn't even wander down the hallway anymore. Today however, no one had even bothered to glance at the fourth resident at Number Four as they headed off to bed for the first time.
Meanwhile at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, the Order of the Phoenix was gathered in a meeting and like every other meeting from the past few weeks everything discussed had led back to one person: Harry Potter. Having sent out fifteen letters to Harry from various people and so far receiving none back, people were concerned.
"Albus, we need to send someone in to see him!" Molly Weasley raised her voice. "We haven't heard anything from him since he left school! You said yourself none of your guards have seen him once!"
"I agree, Albus, it's time to act," another Order member Remus Lupin said patiently. "We haven't even seen him through a window let alone outside."
Albus Dumbledore, head of the Order of the Phoenix, help up his hand to quiet a few of his members' concerns before continuing.
"I completely understand your concerns, as I share many of them myself," he began again. "You know why I keep him there every summer-"
"Please Albus, what good is it keeping him there? He's obviously hurting and-" Mrs. Weasley pleaded again.
"Ah yes, the real dilemma emerges, or is it just the question of the war," the surly voice of Severus Snape could be heard above all others as he sat with his arms crossed in the corner. "How is Harry Potter any good to us if he's broken in half? That's what we all really want to know, isn't it?"
This caused uproar among many of the members, some even leaping to their feet looking as if they were about to lung at the potions master. He only smirked at them all knowing he had hit a nerve that was better left untouched. Dumbledore let them argue for a few minutes before slamming his hand down with reflexes faster then anyone thought possible.
"This is not what I expect from any of you," he said evenly but with a dangerous edge to it. "Don't let this happen again. However, Severus and all of you have been constantly sending me of images of a broken Mr. Potter as of late..."
He trailed off and began to glance at every member's face, most of which were angered, scared, or concerned looking. In fact, there were only two faces out of everyone gathered that seemed absolutely devoid of any emotion. The first was Severus Snape, not a big surprise to him. The second however was someone, who out of the entire room had the right to complain or to be concerned about Harry.
Perhaps even more startling than Harry's lack of response was Sirius'. The man lately seemed to have clammed up around the topic of his godson entirely. Albus had overheard one day Remus trying to talk to him about it to which Sirius merely walked away, stumbling and falling after only a few feet. His progress from Azkaban was fading away rapidly already as his weight slipped severely. It was now that Albus was realizing that if he wished to save Sirius he would have to save Harry as well.
"Alright, I will allow a visit to Mr. Potter," he said at last. He heard quite a few sighs slip out. "Remus, Severus, and Sirius. I want you three to go and see him tomorrow first thing. Observe him carefully. If his relatives refuse to let you see him...do what you need to. Just be gentle with them."
"Excuse me sir, but I believe I have better things to do than this save the Potter escapade," Snape protested loudly. Mrs. Weasley who had pursed her lips shut nodded her head vigorously.
"I really do think I should go along Albus," she suggested. She was going to continue until she saw Albus shaking his head.
"No Molly, I need you here," he said solemnly. She pursed her lips tightly again but nodded her head. There were a few moments of silence before he adjourned the meeting.
"Sirius, may I have a word with you?" Albus asked patiently when he saw Sirius loping slowly to the door. The man stopped suddenly but did not turn back around. The others quietly filed past him (with the exception of Snape who was still complaining) till only the two men were left. When Sirius still made no move to face him, Albus closed the space between them himself.
"Sirius."
No response.
"Sirius, I am sure Harry will be quite glad to see you."
No response.
"Sirius, there is a small mission involving heading up north for a while in the mountains. It would only take a month and doesn't require much on your part. I sent Hagrid to talk to some of the giants. I want you to observe how Hagrid is getting along."
"I'll do it." Short, sweet, and to the point. Albus sighed.
"Sirius, why would you rather be sent off to help Hagrid rather than your own godson?"
No response.
"I know you love Harry very much. Like he was your own son no doubt, and out of the limited knowledge of you he has I believe Harry loves you very much as well. Now it's being made clear to be that he needs help-"
"Help? Help after seeing his parents while dueling Voldemort? Help after seeing a fellow classmate killed like he was cattle? Help after seeing the Dark Lord reborn? Yeah, I'd say he needs help! Help I wasn't allowed to give when I first offered it. The moment I saw him I knew he needed help! Did you let me comfort him? Watch over him? No! You tore him away from me and sent him to people who don't care for him!" Sirius spat out so venomously Albus stepped back. The man's starved body was heaving with the effort behind everything he said.
"I have explained to you more than anyone else why Harry must stay where he is," Albus said calmly. Sirius' eyes had averted back down to the ground and it was plain that was all he'd get out of him now. Albus doubted that Pettigrew himself had it so bad when they had been in the Shrieking Shack. He let his shoulders slouch for a moment before picking himself back up and adopting a commanding tone again.
"Sirius, you will go with Remus and Severus to see Harry. I expect a report from you when you return," Albus said. He knew he'd have to make this a job to get Sirius out before he was too attached again.
Let him hate me, Albus thought dryly. He tried to think of something else to say to the desperate man, but found no words that came to him. With a brief nod he swept out of the room in a swirl or blue robes.
Sirius Black, ex convict of Azkaban Prison, stood silently in the abandoned room in the forsaken house he wished to have never seen again. In one fluid motion he had grabbed a half empty glass of water with his left hand and thrown it against the wall. He let his shoulders heave with angry breaths as he left the room quickly and headed for the darkest hallway upstairs, sweeping past a concerned looking Remus.
A/N: Yay for another update! I updated twice in one week! Miracles happen once in a while...hey! Isn't that a song from the Princess Diaries? Haha. I am a LOSER. Anyways, review! Don't forget your bonding fic suggestions if you have any for me!