2011 laptop-slow updates
Curiosity burned Sirius up on the inside. But he was an adult and he could stifle his questions without going mad—or at least that's what he told himself. It was the second day (not yet 24 hours) of living together when he found Harry sleeping on the hearth by a lit fire. Sirius bit his tongue. There was a number that wasn't making any sense to him. It was supposed to be ten, but as he counted the toes on Harry's feet it came to the number seven. Only seven toes. What happened to the other three felt like it would be a sensitive topic—one that would make him sick and angry.
Before his thoughts could spiral, Harry woke up all at once. It was an odd thing to see. Harry didn't exactly twitch or was perfectly still. His eyes had simply opened looking at the ceiling before flickering over to Sirius, head not moving.
"Err, good morning." It came out more as a question than greeting. "Hungry?"
"Famished." In a smooth motion he rolled to his feet, draping the blanket—now cloak over his shoulder, silver ornaments clasping it to his shoulders. It was transfiguration coupled and with there being no wand made it all the more amazing.
"How did you do that?"
"Runes." He pulled up the sleeve of his shirt, revealing an array of tattoos, runes as small as fingerprints in neat white rows. Sirius moved closer. The flickering firelight made the writing look like it was dancing. "The Furtharks, herb, Latin, astronomy, and parsal runes."
"Parsal?" He'd heard of the others, but wanted to clarify the one he hadn't—Even if he already had an idea.
"Parsaltongue's written form. I'm a parsalmouth." That gave Sirius pause. Harry tapped his half-hidden scar. "It was borne to me by a curse," his odd wording set Sirius on edge. "It's mine now."
Vogo apparated into the dining room, delivering two meals, English breakfasts. Sirius used the interruption to think about the implications of what Harry had said. "What," he cleared his throat, "what else did you get from the curse?" The curse that was meant to kill him.
Harry took a few bites of his meal before answering. "Mo said that it's a lot like priori incantatum. It shows me the spells Voldemort used. I've learned many of them and other things. She helped me unravel the information and put a mental block on it so that I'm not overwhelmed by a lifetime of spells."
Sirius took a moment to process that. The wind was knocked out of him when he realized Harry must know at least one unforgivable curse. He was so young, but that wouldn't stop the Ministry from sending him to Azkaban if he used an unforgivable in the heat of the moment. "You'll have to be careful, Harry. Some of those spells can ruin your life," and the lives of others, he added mentally.
"I know. I was taught ethics before Mo let me see too many spells." Harry paused, lifting his tea, but not drinking from it. "Voldemort could have been a great wizard."
HP
Augusta Longbottom was pleasant at best and vicious at worst. Sirius was one of the very few who got to see her good side, and that was only when he was lucky.
Augusta stepped out of the floo fire, her vulture hat back lit, making it look like the world's ugliest phoenix. A beat later Neville appeared. Sirius caught him by the shoulders before he could fall and break his nose like he'd done last time. Neville whispered his thanks while blushing and backing up.
"Sirius." Augusta nodded at him before eyeing her surroundings critically. Most her age and of similar pedigree did the same. He was just glad she didn't throw insults like his mother did in these sorts of situations.
"Lady Augusta." He gave a half bow before smiling at Neville. "Young sir." Neville beamed at him.
Augusta let out a huff that Sirius knew meant she was pleased.
"Is Harry Potter really here? Can I meet him?" he asked eagerly. He knew Augusta would have rolled her eyes if it wasn't improper. There was a slight smile on her lips though.
"Yes, he's outside by the lake. You know the way."
Neville hesitated, his brow creasing. "Do you think he'll like me?" There it was, the self-confidence issues that Sirius and Augusta had worked so hard to overcome.
Sirius ruffled his hair. "Of course he will! You'll be as close as brothers in no time!"
Neville brightened up and stood a bit straighter before running off.
Augusta gave Sirius a look that would be hard for most to read. It conveyed her gratitude, both for what he said and the active role he took in Neville's life.
Sirius gave her a warm smile in return.
HP
Neville hesitated for the second time in just as many minutes as he stood at the doorway to the backyard of Uncle Sirius' home. He was almost sick to his stomach with nerves. He wished for the tenth time that Susan Bones had come too. She was really nice and didn't make fun of him. If only all kids were like her—That Harry was nice. It didn't help Neville's confidence that he was wearing an outdated swimsuit.
He quietly walked towards the dock, staring at Harry whose back was to him. In the summer sun his dark skin seemed to glow. His hair was wild and went to just below his shoulders, like Uncle Sirius'. There were bobbles in his hair. As Neville got closer he could tell they were earth colored stones and bits of crystal woven into the braids that kept his hair out of his face. His loose hair was unembellished.
Harry turned before Neville could say hello. The words died on his lips. Molten gold eyes stared at him. For a moment Neville thought it was a trick of the light. It had to be because no human had slit pupils like a cat. Harry blinked and his pupils were normal and his irises were more honey than gold. "Neville, right?"
"Uhh, right. You're Harry." Neville tried to make himself less awkward as he spanned the distance between them, making sure not to trip on the slats of the dock. He was unsuccessful on both counts.
Neville squeezed his eyes shut, fighting the urge not to flail his arms and somehow push Harry off the dock. For the second time that day, Neville was caught. He blushed. "Sorr-sorry." He tried to salvage the situation. "It's nice to meet you." Harry laughed, but it wasn't a cruel thing, much to Neville's relief. "Did you really live in the woods?" And just like that Neville had put his foot in his mouth like always. But Harry didn't look offended.
"Yes, and I was also raised by werewolves." Neville's mouth went slack, his bottom lip quivering. Harry smiled. "I'm kidding!" He paused. "I only lived across from them."
"Bloody hell," Neville said before slapping a hand over his mouth. "Don't tell Gran I said that!"
"You have my word." Harry shifted slightly. Silence engulfed them.
"Are you excited to go to Hogwarts?" It was the first thing that popped into his mind.
"I don't know if I want to go to Hogwarts yet. Sirius said it has a library, but the best bits are in the restricted section. What kind of schools restricts you from learning?"
That stumped Neville a right minute. "It has dark spell there." That had to be the reason, it only made sense.
"A school that doesn't teach is traditionally a bad thing. It feels like a paradox to me."
"A pair-of-what?" Neville had not heard that word before. Harry had a weird way of talking. Or maybe that's just how all wood people spoke? Woodland wizards? Wizards of the woods? Wild wizards? Neville wasn't sure if there was a specific term.
"Don't worry about it." Harry glanced over at Neville's shoulders. "Finally! Sirius is back!" Harry rolled his eyes. "He said I couldn't swim without adult supervision. Load of bollocks, that is." He huffed then looked back at Neville, smiling brightly. "Bet I can get more Water Flobberworms than you!" Harry shucked off his shirt and dove into the water with barely a splash.
Neville doubted he could win, but was willing to give it a try.
HP
The ward walker, Alfie Allington, cost the Potters a pretty penny. But seeing even a glimpse of Harry was worth it. Though they hoped for more than just a glance.
Lily kept casting her eyes around, she had a white knuckled grip on Euphy's pram. By her side James was just as tense, casting a powerful shield in case a violent ward was tripped. Allington worked on the wards, moving them around instead of destroying them which would risk alerting Sirius to what they were doing.
James had assured them that Sirius was busy with the werewolf case that had all of the DMLE working overtime. That was little comfort to Lily though. Sirius was from a long line of dark wizards. If he apparated he might attack without mercy. And no doubt there was at least a few nasty surprises in those wards. That was half the reason Allington was so expensive.
Lily flinched when James touched her arm. He dropped his hand from her like he'd been burned. "Sorry, Lily-flower."
Lily took his free hand. "No, I'm sorry." She'd said it countless times before, but it still felt inadequate. All of this was her fault. She had lost their son and hadn't been strong enough to keep looking for him. She had caused James so much pain. She could see her effect on him even now—bags under his eyes, the restlessness that weighed on him because he couldn't stand the whispers and outright anger that was ruthlessly directed at them.
A distance she didn't know how to traverse—It was worse before they had Euphemia. He'd been a ghost trailing Lily's every step. He'd sleep most of the day, barely eat, then go to the DMLE in the middle of the night to do paperwork.
But now they had another chance. Lily just hoped it didn't lead to more heartbreak.
Allington made a strange noise pulling Lily out of her thoughts. "Should I continue?" His question confused her at first, before she realized Harry had come out of the house and passed through the protective wards.
She teared up. He was nearly the spitting image of James at that age, but with longer hair, a shade lighter skin, and his eyes—Lily took in a stunted breath—those were not the eyes she remembered. But there was a myriad of different reasons for that and she didn't have the strength to contemplate them. She had to believe everything was alright. If she didn't, her heart might shatter all over again.
"Harry," she breathed out his name. He looked at her, unreadable and silent. "It's me, your mum." Lily locked the wheels of the pram. James was frozen beside her. Lily approached him like he was a wild animal that could bolt at any moment. "I know it's been a very long time and that your dad and I made a lot of mistakes. We're so sorry. All we want now is to know you and make up for our mistakes." Lily rummaged through the large pockets of her slacks, pulling out the only connection she'd had with Harry after he'd disappeared, a swiss knife.
Harry peered at the knife. He was silent. It made Lily want to squirm. Finally, he walked towards them. He was unnaturally graceful. Lily didn't want to contemplate why that was, or why he was tugging at the cuffs of his long sleeve shirt.
Harry took the knife out of Lily's outstretched hand, not making skin contact. He examined it, opening the various blades, screwdriver, and corkscrew. "I regretted not taking this with me when I ran away." His voice was flat, giving Lily chills. James tensed at her side. "I don't know how I got it. I was too young to remember. I had used it to gut rats so that I could have something to eat."
Lily shuddered. There was another apology on her lips, but James beat her to it. "We're sorry, Harry. We had no idea the Dursleys would do that to you. If we'd known—"
"If you'd checked on me instead of just dropping me off like a stray at the pound you would have known." His words were harsh, but without emotion. He pocketed the knife and walked over to the pram. "Sirius said you had another child. What's her name?"
Lily's throat tightened, "Euphemia—We always planned on having two children. She's not your replacement," she added hastily.
Harry didn't respond, brushing Euphy's red hair out of her face. The two-year-old was blessedly sleeping. "She looks like you and I look like him." She gestured with his chin towards James.
"The Potter blood is strong on the male side," James tried to joke. It fell flat.
Harry turned towards James, and Lily felt the pressure of his gaze leave her. "If you want to abandon another child, give her to me."
James bodily flinched and Lily held back a pained cry. "The circumstances were different then," James tried to explain. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had just tried to kill you. One of my best mates had betrayed us. You weren't safe in the wizarding world."
"I wasn't safe in the muggle world either, now was I? You're right. I wasn't safe in the wizarding world, if you think it's only Britain. I've met all sorts of wizards from different countries. None of them had even heard of me or Voldemort." Lily flinched at the cursed name.
"We couldn't risk it," James said feebly. "Please, Harry, we're your family. We're your parents. We just want to get to know you and make up for lost time."
Harry shook his head. "The people of Ant Hill are my family. Mo raised me. She's my mother. Sirius is becoming family. He's teaching me about the outside world and I'm going to Hogwarts soon. You two are strangers and mean next to nothing to me."
Harry took a step away from them, the wards welcoming him into their arms while pushing them back.
Lily felt her heart shatter.
I have a few chapters still saved up, but I've completely lost my inspiration. Please send me ideas if you can!