I'll Always Care for You
Sirius Black, framed mass-murderer, Azkaban escapee, and godfather to Harry Potter, was worried. His godson seemed to be hiding something from him. He could tell. The way he seemed edgy all the time, the way Hermione had fixed him with a reproachful gaze last evening. But he could never get close enough to check, to ask him what was happening. Were his nightmares getting worse? Or was it Snape?
That night, they had all sat down after dinner, near the flickering fireplace. The twins were regaling them with the recipes for their Canary Creams. They had already sold out in the Gryffindor common room. The Trio were doing their homework. Harry seemed to be slightly wincing every time he wrote. Sirius and Remus shared a look. They had both noticed Harry's strange behavior and were both worried.
As Harry was writing the final line of his essay on Mars, his sleeve slipped down revealing a patch of swollen redness and dried blood. He instantly covered it up, but it had been seen.
"What is that on your hand, Harry?" Remus said sharply, breaking the silence.
"No-nothing," Harry said, terrified.
"Give me your hand." Sirius said gently.
Ron and Hermione shared a look.
"You knew they were going to find out sometime or another." Hermione said.
"Yeah, mate. It was pretty obvious…." Ron trailed off.
"What is it?" Remus asked.
"We swore we wouldn't tell." Hermione said, biting her lip.
Gently (or as gently as he possibly could, knowing that something had happened to his Harry), he grabbed Harry's hand and lifted his sleeve. There it stood out, in angry red lettering. I must not tell lies.
"Who did this to you?" Sirius snarled.
Harry looked uncomfortable. "If I do, promise me you won't commit the murders you were convicted for in the first place."
Sirius placed his hand over his heart. "Promise." He said.
"Dolores Umbridge."
"The Senior Undersecretary to the Minister?" Mr. Weasley exclaimed; a look of disgust apparent on his face.
"Yeah, black fly bow and all." Harry replied grimly.
"What did she do to you?" Remus growled, his amber eyes reflecting the light.
"Well, she has this quill- long and black- that uses the writer's blood as ink. I think she's used on me for 2 or 3 weeks now." Harry said, squirming under the hard looks of everyone.
"A Blood Quill? That's a Level 4 Unclassified Dark Object!" Mr. Weasley yelled.
Sirius dragged Harry with him to the hallway outside, ignoring his yells of protest. He kneeled and looked Harry in the eye.
"Why didn't you tell me? Or Remus? Or Dumbledore?" he asked.
Harry sank down the wall. "I didn't want to bother you or Professor Dumbledore. Besides, it's only a small cut."
Sirius was shocked. "Harry, you listen to me. I will always care about you. If you are ever hurt, come to me. Understood?"
"Yes."
"Good. Now let's go back in. The others will be waiting for us."