Sirius walked down the passageway trying to do his tie and put on his sock at the same time when he heard a banging near the bottom of the door to Crosby's room. He opened it and Crosby fell out at his feet, looking as pissed as Sirius felt. Harry was supposed to have gotten him dressed and fed over a half-hour ago.
He picked him up and carried him downstairs to find Harry rushing around the kitchen. Sirius put Crosby down and coughed. Harry finally looked up from the frying pan and smiled at him.
"Meeting today with the director of the MDI today." He said mistaking Sirius's anger for nervousness. He put his arms round his neck. "Don't worry, it'll go fine. I've got everything pr-" Sirius pushed him off.
"Are you stupid? Why are you even bothering with this shit? You know that he was only complimenting your scribbling because he wanted to make you feel better about being lousy enough to get fired from what is possibly the simplest job. And you take him seriously and already start neglecting everything else! When the twins are born, what are you going to do, dump them at Mrs. Tout's house from when they're an hour old? What kind of mother are you?" He ranted and Harry just listened, silently staring at him. When Sirius was finished he opened his mouth to reply.
"Wh-" A hand collided with his cheek and he was knocked to the floor, hitting his head on the cabinets behind him. His glasses had fallen off and he saw the blurry figure of Sirius turn around and storm out, slamming the door behind him.
Harry touched the back of his head and winced. He looked at the blood on his fingers and battled to hold back his tears. Sirius was right; he was being stupid, how could he not see it? He stood up, ignoring the pounding pain in his head and started getting out breakfast for Crosby, who had been sitting watching the whole thing and despite his young age, would remember it for a long time to come…
Harry sat on the bench staring at the same page of his book as he had been for the past half-hour while Crosby slept in his pram. There was no one else in the park and although he could go home, he just didn't think he could stand it at the moment.
"Hello!" Said a voice startling him and he looked up and shut the book with a snap. Toni sat grinning at him and although he wanted to smile, he couldn't and looked away from her. "What's wrong?" She asked, looked at him closely and without waiting for an answer, ran off down the street. Harry sighed and went back to staring at one thing, this time it happened to be Crosby.
He heard footsteps walking down the road in a few minutes and expected Toni back. She was. "Hello Harry."
Along with her mother.
"Look mum, there." Toni said pointing to Harry as Mrs. Tout sat down. Without another word she grabbed Harry's chin and turned his head away so she could see the side of his face. She looked at the bruise on his cheek and touched it, making him pull away.
"Who did this?" She asked him firmly and Harry didn't have to answer, the look on his face gave it away. "What happened?" He looked away at the floor for a minute. "Harry?"
"I don't know, this morning he came into the kitchen and when I told him I was going for the meeting, he just, blew up." He said tearfully.
"And you've been married how long now?"
"Three months."
"Has he ever done this before, anything at all?" Harry shook his head and pulled his face out of her hands.
"No," He said quickly and she frowned.
"Well, I'm not forcing you into anything, I'm advising you as a mother and a friend to…" she said and Harry moved away from her in a swift motion, standing up angrily, stopping her in mid sentence.
"You're not my mother!" He said and she saw rage in his eyes. "Don't say it and don't act like it." He snapped. She was surprised at his reaction and stared at his wand as he pointed it at her face.
" Hex me if you must, I'm just saying, get out of it now, what if he starts on Crosby, or on the new babies when he gets angry and." She didn't finish as Harry muttered the word 'obliviate'; instead she looked around in surprise.
"Toni, why am I here? Come on, let's go, I have work to do." She said standing up and dragging Toni down the street, greeting Harry as she went. Toni turned her head to look at him, hurt and fear in her eyes. He ignored it and soon as they were out of sight, sat down on the bench and buried his head in his hands.
Thoughts ran all over his brain uncontrollably. She was alsoright. What if he hit Crosby or hurt the babies? He would never get over the guilt if that happened. But what could he do now? Leave him? Where would he go if he did? He wouldn't be able to manage three children alone and moneyless. For a moment he seriously considered going back home to his parents but a certain conversation came to mind.
Flashback
"Come on dad, it was no big deal."
"No big deal? Harry, you've been with a different guy everyday when we've come home this week."
"So? I'm just experimenting."
"So experimenting is letting them all screw you into the mattress then?" James retorted, "The only experimenting is how it would be like to have two children within eight weeks of each other."
"If you're implying what I think, that's not going to happen."
"Sure, that's what you think until you come crying to us that you're pregnant again."
"I told you, that won't happen for a long time."
"Well, if you keep going the way you are I don't think it'll be more than three months, give or take. Don't even bother to tell me, because trust me, this time it wont be pretty."
End flashback
Looking back, he still felt his father was a little harsh. He was merely enjoying his freedom of having no school and only sharing the house with Jack and Crosby for most of the day and sometimes until late at night. He'd just spent his time with a few classmates who had come to see him and happened to be just as bent as he was. And coincidentally, neither Sirius nor Draco was around to fulfil his need at the time.
James hadn't even really meant it, but Harry had pretty much taken his statement to heart and if he didn't want to know that two more grandchildren would be arriving in little over three months, Harry wasn't going to go humiliate himself bytelling him.
He ruled out the option and after a lot of hard thinking, decided to pretend it never happened and hope it was just a loss of temper and that it didn't happen again.
Sirius guiltily walked home. The anger had long since worn off and guilt had set in as he remembered Harry asking him to dress and feed Crosby the previous night. How could do that? Hit the boy he had sworn to James he would protect eighteen years ago and the person he had promised to spend the rest of his life with only three months ago. And if he could feel worse about it, the one who was carrying his children.
Harry had been known to run away when he was mistreated. The last time it had happened was about nine weeks after Crosby was born. James had once again come home to Harry giving some boy a blowjob and that had been the last straw. After the boy had hurriedly pulled up his pants and flooed out, his cheeks shining with embarassment, a screaming match had occurred between the two and after being called a slut, Harry had stormed into Crosby's room, taken him and walked out.
He'd eventually been found two weeks later in St Mungos after he'd collapsed and fallen down the stairs of the building he had been staying in.
Sirius hoped now wouldn't be a similar situation. He was relieved as he saw Harry standing in the kitchen cooking dinner, but as he looked up at him, his gut tensed up with shame. The hand mark shaped bruise stretched across one side of his face.
He didn't speak and instead sat down at the table waiting as Harry set the table, almost ignoring the fact that he was even there. After he had gotten Crosby and put him in his high chair, he sat down himself. The meal was silent, both scared to speak.
"So, how did the meeting go then?" Sirius asked and Crosby gave a yawn. Harry didn't answer and instead picked him up put him down on the floor. One kneazle went passed and he quickly followed it. Sirius tried again.
"How do you think it went?" Harry snapped. "I didn't go." He pushed his plate away from him and stood up.
"Why ever not?" Sirius asked and Harry, who had been scraping the leftovers into the dustbins stopped and banged Crosby's plate on the table.
"God, you are impossible. You told me nine hours ago that it was stupid and I was wasting my time and now you're asking why I didn't go?" He broke down and ran out the kitchen. Sirius just fell forward and put his head against the marble table as he heard a door slam upstairs.
Nobody said it would literelly be Issacs that caused the problems...
This is my final warning about the Cross-dressing. If you don't like it, don't bother opening the next chapter.
Well done to Melenna who in chapter six reviewed and guessed right, shocking even me! Go find it, be amazed that she predicted it! Whatever happened to her? Does she review anymore? Is she even reading this? Is anyone reading this?
Anywho, don't flame me. It has to happen.
REVIEW
Next chapter: Harry is reluctant to forgive Sirius (and for good reason), despite his efforts.A shocking revelations for Sirius,anotherstage in the pregnancy reached,and a healer threatens to tear them apart for good. Angst, drama and kinky sex are in the near future...
