Chapter 2
After that embarrassing episode with him almost wetting himself, Harry was happy when both Remus and Sirius dropped off to sleep. He was reading through his book; Quidditch Through the Ages, and found himself slowing falling asleep as well. He woke up however when the train jerked once before announcing Devon as the next stop. And as that was theirs he didn't want to fall asleep and have them miss it.
He looked at his godfather and former teacher, wondering how they were able to stay sleep. He shrugged, figuring he would always be a light sleeper considering his upbringing. His godfather knew a tiny bit about the Durselys and he was trying to keep it that way, he didn't want to explain what they did to him. Because he was basically safe now that he was with Sirius, he didn't want to open up that can of worms.
He was under no allusions, he knew how the Durselys treated him couldn't be anything but abuse. He just didn't want to bring his godfather into that, the man had already been through so much. He really didn't want to burden Sirius with more information about his relations. Trying to think of something else had Harry wiggling on his seat. His bladder effectively drawing his thoughts away from his appalling relatives and bringing his complete focus on it.
He had always had a small bladder ever since he could remember. He always had to go as soon as he woke up in the morning, or after a nap or something. It was a nuisance the times that he went on a car ride with the Durselys. As they had hated to stop for him, but Uncle Vernon would rather stop then have the freak pee in his car. He didn't understand why his body was like this. It was like when he was sleeping his bladder decided to fill itself up, for some unknown reason. He was thankful that he never wet the bed as he knew Uncle Vernon would have hurt him for that. He groaned softly before looking at his watch, to check out the time.
The conductor had said that they would be arriving at their station in about 45 minutes. He had time and though he now knew he could leave the compartment, Remus had said he had to tell them when he did. But how was he going to do that when they were sleeping? He didn't want to wake either of them up as they both had their own set bags under each eye and he sighed once more at his situation. Not to mention he just didn't like asking, he guessed it all stemmed from the idea, of what was the point of asking for something you knew the answer too, and it was never a yes.
Harry whimpered suddenly knowing that if he stayed here any longer he would have a puddle underneath him. He took a shallow breath, going through his options once more before deciding. Standing up he quietly made his way out the compartment, trying to shut the door silently. He gave himself a quick squeeze before running back towards the toilet that Remus had taken him last time. He burst through the doors and headed towards a stall and a few moments later he was relieving himself with a happy sigh of relief.
Meanwhile back at the compartment, Remus had woken up when the door shut, but he didn't think anything of it until he realized that Harry wasn't in the compartment with them anymore. He gasped loudly as he pulled out his wand as he looked around in horror.
"Sirius, get up! Where's Harry?" He asked the sleep leaving from his brain so quickly it was as if it was never there.
"What do you mean? He's right where he was Moony," Sirius grumbled tiredly, his eyes had yet to open.
"Harry is gone Padfoot, what if someone took him? Why did I let myself fall asleep?" Remus said angrily as the man next to him finally opened his eyes only to turn their now childless compartment.
"I'll go search the train, dear Merlin," Sirius said his exhausted body protested as he stood up. Nothing was going to stop him from looking for his godchild. He wasn't going to lose Harry, he had just got him back.
"Good idea, I hope he's just…" Remus trailed off as the door to their compartment was pulled opened to reveal Harry Potter staring at them both in shock.
"Harry James Potter, where the hell did you go? You know better than to walk out without saying something," Sirius said quietly, his eyes narrowing as he looked at his godson. He allowed his tired body to fall back on the seat, but his glare never left the emerald eyes that were staring back at his blue ones in shock.
Harry for his part was looking like a deer caught in headlights. He couldn't have been gone what 5 minutes, and weren't they supposed to be sleeping?Why had they woken up so quickly? He shook his head as he looked at his serious (no pun intended) godfather. He swallowed hard, his face flushing as he stood there quietly. He couldn't believe that he was already in trouble, and he hadn't yet done anything.
"Well are you going to answer me or not?" Sirius said a bit louder, allowing a bit of his irritation seep through into his tone.
"I…I had to use the toilet, you guys said I could go whenever I needed to," Harry blurted out before turning his gaze to the floor as he hung his head. Maybe he had been mistaken, maybe he had only imagined that. He swallowed thickly, wondering how much trouble he was now in. How could he had heard wrong?
Remus stared at the bowed head with a sigh. "Yes we did, but I also told you to let one of us know when you need to use it, specifically for this reason," he told him sternly. How could Harry be so careless about this? Didn't the child understand how serious this situation was?
"What reason?" Harry asked softly, though he couldn't bring himself to look his Professor nor his Godfather in the eye just yet. He had remembered how it felt to have their glares directed at him and he didn't like it.
"You worried us both half to death and we thought someone had taken you against your will," Sirius said frowning at Harry as if it was obvious..
"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. It's just you both were sleeping and I didn't want to disturb you," Harry babbled worriedly. He was such an idiot, how could be so stupid? He hated how he was always messing up. What if his godfather decided that he was too much work, would he give him back to the Durselys? Would his relatives even take him back? He knew the answer to the latter and once more the answer didn't began with a y.
"We wouldn't have cared Harry, I would have welcomed it. Next time you will, or you will be grounded mark my words," Remus said firmly as he stared at Sirius to see if he would dispute his words. He had a feeling that the man wouldn't, but everyone knew that Sirius was more or less still a child himself. Which made him a bit unpredictable, especially when it came to Harry.
"Yes sir," Harry replied unable to see the exchange of silent conversation as his head was still bowed. He was ashamed to say that he couldn't summon his Gryffindor courage to look up. He knew by their tone that they weren't angry anymore but he was still apprehensive about the whole thing.
Sirius didn't care, if anything he welcomed that Remus had laid down the law so to speak. He wasn't really interested in being someone's father, so he left the disciplinarian part to Remus like always. It helped that sometimes Remus saw him as still a kid, so he had a feeling this would work out.
"I won't do it again," Harry answered softly as he took a seat. He sure wouldn't, he would try his hardest next time to just hold it in. Speaking of grounding it made him curious of how he would get punished here, he knew it would be nothing like his relatives house but he still would rather know the details upfront.
"You'd better not," Remus said in a final tone before he relaxed his stance.
Harry sat silently in his seat, turning his gaze to the window as the announcer let them know they had about half hour until their stop. He didn't look up as he heard the two men in the compartment starting to pack up their things. He felt like a little child, having gotten scolded for doing something they told him was allowed. Inwardly he knew he was being ridiculous he knew the rules before he walked outside of the compartment. All he had to do was tell them, or leave a note on some parchment or something.
Harry didn't bother talking to either man, not that they were talking to him. He grabbed his bag making sure he had everything he brought with him as he waited for the train to stop so they could get off.
He stayed quiet as they all climbed off the train, staying close to Sirius and Remus. He had noticed quite early on how they had them shielded from everyone else. He was in the middle of them, but he wasn't complaining at the moment. He was curious to know where they were staying.
All he knew was that it was a Potter house, as Sirius only had dark artifacts in his houses, that he didn't want him exposed too. Harry wasn't complaining, after that whole fiasco in the 2nd year, Harry was fine if he never came in contact with a dark item in his whole life. But as Voldemort seem so hard pressed to get him, he didn't that that was likely.
They continued walking until they entered the train station where he stayed with Sirius as Remus went to go get them a car. Harry sat there boredly, wishing that whatever was taking so long would be finished. Just when he thought he would die of boredom, he felt someone gently shake him. He opened his eyes, to look at Sirius who was gesturing for him to get up.
"Are we done now?" Harry asked neutrally.
"Yeah, Moony has a car for us. C'mon," Sirius told him as he started walking towards the doors.
Harry grabbed his bag and quickly ran after him, not wanting to get left. Even though he was sure they wouldn't leave him why would he risk it? He yawned as he followed Sirius, glancing at the man curiously as he stopped. It took him a moment to wonder why until he saw the car. He shrugged as he got into the backseat, pushing his bag to the other side as he buckled up.
"How long is the car ride going to be?" Harry asked curiously, hoping it would be quick. He was just so excited and wanted to be there already. Not to mention after sitting on the train for the past 5 hours, he just wanted to be up and doing something. Sitting down for a long time didn't sound fun in the least.
"About an hour and a half, maybe more if we have traffic or if we decide to stop for any reason," Remus told him honestly.
"Oh, well we won't have to stop," Harry told him confidently.
"How do you know that cub? You might find yourself needing a wee before we get there," Remus told him truthfully.
Harry blushed but he shook his head vehemently from side to side. "No I won't," he promised.
"Never say never cub," Remus warned him.
Sirius chuckled and though he agreed with Remus he wasn't getting in it. He just hoped Harry would have the sense to tell them to pull over instead of saying nothing and having an accident. He reclined his seat back a bit, trusting Remus completely.
"Well you guys can argue all you want, I'm however going to take a nap," Sirius told them as he closed his eyes.
"Haven't you slept enough already Sirius?" Harry asked, with a bit of whine in his voice. He had been hoping that Sirius would be able to keep him entertained during the ride.
"No, if you remember my sleep got interrupted by someone who decided to leave and not tell tell anyone where he was going," Sirius said turning around to give Harry a pointed look.
"Oh yeah," Harry said softly, his earlier blush had faded and had gave way to this new one, as he stared at his feet. "Sorry,"
"Its fine Harry, you know the rules now and I don't need to repeat them again. In the meantime I am going to sleep and I'm sure Remus wont mind talking to you," Sirius told him as he yawned and closed his eyes once more.
Harry nodded but didn't answer as he looked out his window to see them get on the freeway. He sighed as he reached over to grab his book, and soon picked up where he had left off.
Harry had been reading his book for about 15 minutes when he too, found himself nodding off to sleep. It wasn't until the 5th time when he had jerked his head back once more to keep himself up when he heard his Professor's voice.
"Just sleep Harry, I'll wake you when we get there," Remus told him after watching the child fight sleep in the past ten minutes.
"I can't," Harry mumbled sleepily.
"And why not?" Remus asked a bit concerned.
"Because I don't want too," Harry replied weakly. He didn't want to explain that as soon as he woke up he would need to relieve himself immediately. He wasn't even sure just how he could explain it without coming off strange.
"I don't care if you don't want too. You're obviously tired, now I want you to go to sleep. The sooner you sleep, the sooner you'll get there," Remus told him firmly.
Harry made a noise of protest but didn't have the energy to fight it and soon allowed his body to rest.
Remus shook his head as Harry finally drifted off, wondering just why the boy was being so stubborn about staying awake. He hoped it was nothing bad, because they could all use a bit of the break from all the dramatics. He turned the radio on low an continued down the road. He sang along to a tune softly, not wanting to wake up his two sleeping passengers.
Harry woke up to the sound of beeping horns, frowning as he realized that his good sleep had been interrupted.
"What's going on?" He mumbled tiredly.
"A car stopped ahead, and blocked a whole lane," Sirius told him as Remus had his head out the window in an attempt to hear how everything was going.
"How long has this been going on?" He asked as he yawned, looking at the cars around him all at a standstill.
"About 20 minutes, we would have been there. Our exit is 2 miles from here," Remus told him tiredly because he was fed up with what was going on. And this is why he preferred to travel the wizarding way.
Harry wiggled on his seat, as he listened to Remus talk. He frowned, as his hand rested on his lower stomach. He wasn't stupid and he was very much aware that his bladder was ready to be emptied. He sighed, but there was nothing he could do for it.
"What happens if we don't ever move?" Harry asked worriedly.
"Trust me we will Harry, it'll just take a moment," Remus said surely.
"Just relax kiddo, try to go back to sleep," Sirius suggested.
"I can't I'm awake now," Harry insisted.
"Well are you hungry or thirsty? Check inside the brown bag on the floor and grab something," He told him, figuring food would keep the small teen quiet.
Harry shook his head, but he had caught the unspoken hint. Sirius was tired of him asking questions, and he had remembered how tired his godfather had been so he would humor him for the time being and would shut up.
He whimpered to himself as he tried to control his squirms, but it was getting progressively worse as he sat there and pretended nothing was wrong. He knew in his heart, that continuing like he was, he was going to end up with a wet seat and soiled clothes. And 13 year olds didn't do that all. He took a deep breath mustering his Gryffindor courage before he spoke.
"Sirius can we stop?" Harry blurted out in the stillness of the car.
Sirius turned around to give Harry a look. "We have stopped pup," he said slowly.
"I know, but I mean somewhere else," Harry replied with a small blush creeping on his cheeks.
"Where do you suggest Remus go Harry? We're kind of stuck in the middle of traffic," Sirius pointed out.
"I know," Harry replied softly, before sighing.
He leaned his head back on the backseat, as he wiggled around on his seat. He didn't know what to do, and for the first time he wished for that spell that Madame Pomprey used to dispel the waste from her patient's stomach. He gripped the sides of his jeans and clenched them tight, his situation was bad and he was anxious for the ride to be over.
Remus glanced in the mirror, and found himself turning around in the car to look at Harry in concern. "What's wrong cub?" He asked, his tone making way for Sirius to turn around and look at his godson as well.
Harry tried to smile but the grimace only proved to his two guardians that all was not well with their young charge. "Nothing," he mumbled.
"Try again, what's the matter with you Harry?" Sirius asked impatiently, not trying to give into his worry.
Harry looked down at his jeans, and his clenched hands before turning to stare at Sirius. He couldn't keep his silence any longer, he had to speak up. "I need to have a wee," he said hurriedly.
Remus sighed as he looked back at the road. "That poses a problem," he said carefully.
"I thought you said you wouldn't need for Moony to stop," Sirius teased.
Harry just stared at his godfather, his situation was awful and here the man was making fun of him. "If they hadn't had traffic, we would have been at the house. And then I wouldn't have had to say anything," Harry said in a smart alleck tone.
"Watch it kiddo," Sirius said immediately as he quirked his eyebrow at the tone.
"You were making fun of me," Harry said with narrowed eyes. He couldn't help it, he tended to get a bit temperamental when he need the toilet. It was a desperate urge, and the more he had to go the easier he got irritated.
"I was teasing you, relax Harry," Sirius repeated as he tried to keep the irritation out of his own tone.
Harry huffed as he grabbed his crotch, and breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't have time for games at the moment. He really had to go and wished the cars would move along.
"Can you just conjure something?" He asked about 2 minutes later.
"Not in front of all these muggles, I can't oblivate them all," Remus said, always the voice of reason.
"But I need a wee," he whined desperately
"I know you do, but you're just going to have to hold it," Sirius told him firmly.
"That's the thing, I don't think I can," Harry said softly. He wasn't exaggerating, and if anything he was downplaying how bad he actually had to go. He hadn't meant for anyone to hear him but he had forgotten about Remus and his sensitive senses.
Remus frowned as he looked at Sirius before doing the same to Harry. "Check in the bag Padfoot, there should be a water bottle in it," Remus told him softly.
"Moony, he doesn't have to go that bad. I'm sure Harry just doing it for attention," Sirius said easily. He didn't honestly believe his godson had to go that bad no if he did at all. And as the boy had just woken up and he didn't seem like he had to go while he was asleep.
"Sirius I don't think he's joking," Remus told him honestly.
"Moony, trust me I know he is. You were a little boy once, boredom makes you do a lot of things," Sirius said with a small smile.
"I know, and you're one to talk," Remus said laughing softly as he remembered the things they used to get up to when they were bored. He shook his head, believing that he had misheard Harry and turned back to the road, they were moving a bit now. It was slow going but it was better then before.
Harry whimpered to himself as he held himself as tight as he could. He didn't want to bring up his need as the men couldn't do anything for him. He shifted on his seat to try to hold it in a different position. That however proved to be his downfall as he suddenly spurted. He gasped as his bladder contracted.
"Sirius, I've gotta go!" He blurted out urgently. All tact about staying quiet had now gone out the window when he realized he was in some trouble.
"Honestly Harry, this has gone far enough," Sirius told him dryly.
"But I'm not kidding," Harry promised before he suddenly closed his eyes as he felt his bladder release. He couldn't believe what was happening to him and in the car no less!
"Sirius I really do think that Harry..." Remus trailed off as he took in the fresh smell of urine that suddenly filled the car. There was no mistaken just who that had come from, not to mention the soft sniffling also gave the culprit away.
"Think that Harry what?" Sirius asked in confusion as he looked at his friend.
"Just had an accident in the backseat of the car," Remus finished quietly. He turned around to find his pseudo godchild with his head bowed, he could smell the salt water mixing with the urine smell and he knew that Harry was crying.
Sirius's eyes got wide as he took in Remus's words, so Harry hadn't been kidding at all. He turned to look at his godchild. "Harry?" He called in a soft tone.
Harry was trying to convince himself that this was a dream, trying to ignore his wet warm jeans and the fact that Remus could now smell it. He tried to pretend that he couldn't hear them talking about him. How could he do something like that? He however choked on a sob when he heard his godfather talking to him. Hadn't the man just told him that he was pretending? Harry was kind of hurt, but he had no one to blame but himself. He just had to be extra careful for the rest of the summer.
"Kiddo, are you okay?" Sirius asked gently.
"I'm fine," Harry mumbled as his jeans started to cool. He couldn't help but feel relieved that the impending pressure was now gone, even as he knew that he had disgraced himself.
"I'm sorry I didn't believe you," Sirius told him apologetically.
"Uh huh," Harry murmured softly. He didn't believe that apology at the moment all he could feel was hurt. How dare Sirius not believe him? Just like Uncle Vernon he had needed the proof of Harry having an accident to never doubt his words again. He buried his head into his shirt and continued to cry softly.
"I really am pup," Sirius pressed albeit gently but firmly.
"Let him be Siri," Remus told him softly. He knew how the small boy was feeling and knew that he needed his space for the time being. He shook his head, knowing that Sirius wouldn't doubt him again as he drove the rest of the traffic filled freeway to their exit. He pulled off and headed down on the correct street.
"We'll be there in a minute Harry, and then you can clean up," Remus told him.
"Okay," Harry whispered.
Remus sighed as he took in the tear filled expression of the child in the back seat. He hoped this would be the only discrepancy, this summer. But that was wistful thoughts of a war and werewolf survivor. He knew that Harry had some trust issues, he just hoped that he and Sirius would be able to correct them. Because right now at the moment, they only seemed to be making it worse. He shook the thought away as he pulled up to a gate. He sighed before turning back to Harry who looked like he was trying to become one with the seat.
"Come here cub," Remus requested gently.
Harry was unsure of what the man wanted but since they had stopped he opened his door and jumped out, his wet pants rubbing against his legs. He stood in front of the man's open door giving both men a view of his wet pants.
"Wow you really soaked yourself," Sirius muttered before he was given a glare by Remus.
Harry hung his head unable to look at his godfather. He was never that grateful for magic then he was at that moment when he felt the cleaning spell and his jeans were as if nothing had happened. He swiped his hand across his face before turning his red rimmed eyes to Remus. "Thank you,"
"No problem cub," Remus said before instructing him to prick his finger and place a drop of blood where it was required. As the gate opened, Remus gave Harry's hair a ruffle. "Welcome home," he said gesturing for Harry to get back into the car as he drove through the gate and towards the manor.