Authors Note:

For some reason I have this head canon that Aunt Marge may have instigated some of the abuse that Harry suffered. It goes back to her tripping Harry as a child so that he wouldn't beat Dudley at a game of musical chairs. I have him trusting Sirius because of the dog thing again — dogs are loyal — and Harry immediately made a bond and a friend with the animal and he feels that same trust with the man, but not as freely - at least not yet. Things are slow moving, but still good I hope.

Reviews and Comments: To E-Dett: Thank you! You think Thea is going to be a potential love interest for Sirius? We'll have to see. Yes, Harry is trusting him more and more.

Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!

Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!

CHAPTER ELEVEN:

The One Where Harry Asks What A Kiss Is

After ice cream, Sirius got the potions and the cream that he needed as well as the vitamins and supplement potions from St Mungo's and a proper food nutrition guide for children Harry's age. They went shopping for clothes in Muggle London afterwards, and soon Harry had close to thirty new outfits and six new pairs of pyjamas, plus socks and underwear and undershirts. Sirius knew that he had gone overboard, but he wanted Harry to have a wardrobe; something that he knew was his and only his. He wanted Harry to feel wanted and to feel loved and at the moment, he didn't care how much money he spent on him to help him feel that way.

He wanted Harry to never want for anything ever again.

They stopped at a pub for lunch and Sirius ordered Harry a hamburger and chips, which he ate with a smile, dipping the chips in the thick gravy with interest.

When they got back to the cottage, Sirius sat Harry down on the couch in the living room, his thoughts on what Healer Castellanos had told him. He did need to know how his godson had obtained the welts. Sirius knew from his own childhood the damage that a belt could do, but he wanted to know what Harry had done that the Dursleys had warranted such a harsh beating.

And most importantly — had it happened before?

Sirius handed Harry the stuffed animal of a doe that he had purchased for him that day and smiled. "Harry, there's something very important that I want to talk to you about."

Harry snuggled the doe close to him, solemn green eyes on Sirius. "Okay."

"Your parents made me godfather of you which means that they wanted me to take care of you if something bad ever happened to them."

"Like a car crash?"

"Car crash?" Sirius asked, his eyes clouded in confusion.

Harry nodded. "Aunt Petunia said my mummy and daddy died in a car crash and they got landed with me."

Sirius pursed his lips. "No! No, Harry — that's not what happened." He ran his fingers through his hair, tucking it behind his ears and turned to sit sideways on the couch so that he was facing his godson. He hadn't imagined that Harry didn't even know what had happened to his parents. "Your mummy and daddy were two of the bravest people I ever knew. But there was this bad man named Voldemort. He was an evil wizard, Harry, hurting people and he came after your mummy and daddy."

Harry's eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly, but he didn't speak.

"James and Lily, your parents, they tried to hide from him so that they could keep you safe, but he found them. Your dad, he tried to protect you and your mum, but the bad wizard killed him and then he went after you and your mum. Your mum tried to save you and the love your mummy and daddy had for you gave you protection from the bad wizard. But it didn't protect them and your mummy was killed too. This scar," Sirius said, gently pressing his finger to the lightning bolt. "Is all you got when the bad wizard tried to kill you. Just this scar."

"Oh," Harry said, quietly. "How did I get to Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's house?"

Sirius smiled, gently brushing Harry's hair out of his eyes. It pleased him not to see the boy flinch anymore, but his eyes still watched him warily as if he wasn't entirely sure if he trusted him completely.

"I was so angry when I found out that your mummy and daddy had died. I knew someone had done something bad to find them because no one knew where they were hiding except for their friends. So Hagrid, a friend of ours, he took you somewhere safe and I tried to find out why your parents were killed. But I got tricked and then I had to get locked up. So Dumbledore brought you to your mum's sister, Petunia, and asked her to look after you."

"You got locked up? In a cupboard with no lights and lots of spiders?" Harry asked, his voice higher than usual.

"Kind of, yeah, but an important friend of mine, your Auntie Minnie," Sirius said, grinning as the words left his mouth. Wouldn't McGonagall love it when he got Harry calling her that? He chuckled internally at the image. "She helped find out that I was tricked and got me released. So, I came to find you to see if maybe you liked living with your Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon or if maybe you wanted to come live with me instead?"

"Live with you?" Harry asked, his eyes wide. "Live here?"

Sirius nodded, smiling at Harry, tugging him up into his lap. "Would you like to stay here with me, Harry?"

Harry smiled up at him, his bright eyes full of trust as he nodded. "Yes, please. I'll try not to be ungrateful."

"Shh, I don't want to hear you say that. I am so grateful that I have you here with me." He kissed the top of Harry's head, smiling when Harry leaned back against him. "Harry, can you do something for me though?"

Harry turned to look at him, his eyes wide as he nodded.

Sirius gently ran his fingers through the thick mess of hair. "Can you tell me how you got those marks on your back? The ones that no one was supposed to see." As Harry trembled, Sirius pulled him closer, hugging him. "I promise that no one will ever hurt you like that again, Harry. You're safe here. But you have to tell me what happened so I can make sure that no one ever hurts you again."

Harry's arms wrapped around Sirius' neck and he held on as Sirius gently ran his hands over Harry's shoulders and the top of his back. They sat like that so long that Sirius was convinced that he wasn't going to talk to him, but then he heard the whisper near his ear.

"I burned the bacon because Ripper chased me up a tree."

"Who's Ripper?"

"Aunt Marge's dog. He's a bad dog. Not like you. You're a good dog. He doesn't like anyone but Aunt Marge. She told him to eat me, so I ran, because he wanted the bacon. I climbed up the tree and Uncle Vernon shook the tree so hard I fell out. I hurt my arm," Harry said, holding his arm as if it still hurt.

Sirius took hold of the arm Harry was holding and gently kissed the spot where Harry was rubbing and Harry gave him a sweet smile.

"Aunt Marge grabbed my hurt arm and pulled me inside the house. She took off her belt and gave it to Uncle Vernon. She said that I needed to be taught how to be a good boy; how to behave proper. Then she held me down on the chair and Uncle Vernon hit me. I cried and she hit my cheek," Harry said, tears in his eyes as Sirius kissed the cheek tenderly. "I tried not to cry, but it hurt so bad. And Aunt Marge told Uncle Vernon that he wasn't hitting me very hard so he hit me again and again and then Aunt Petunia came in and she screamed. She pushed Aunt Marge away and pulled me off the chair and into the bathroom. She cleaned my cuts and she made me promise never to tell anyone what happened. She said that Uncle Vernon would be so mad if I told. Then she made me go to my cupboard and she locked me inside. She didn't let me come out for breakfast. I had to go to the bathroom on my bed," he said, blushing with tears in his eyes. "Aunt Petunia was very cross."

"Who's Aunt Marge, Harry?" Sirius asked, feeling slightly relieved that Petunia had at least seen the horror in what her husband had done at least in terms of embarrassment rather than actual concern. He was still furious because she had done nothing to stop it and had locked her nephew in a cupboard to starve him and make him sit in his own filth for Merlin knew how long as if it had been his fault that he was beaten.

"Uncle Vernon's sister. She says I'm an ungrateful little brat who deserves rotten shite. Aunt Petunia got very cross when I asked what 'rotten shite' was."

Sirius nodded, hoping Harry couldn't feel the anger from him. "It's not very nice, Harry. Did… did Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon lock you in your cupboard a lot?"

"Uh-huh. Uncle Vernon locked the door every night after supper and I never get out until it was time for breakfast. Aunt Petunia gives me five minutes to use the toilet and then I have to make breakfast. But don't burn the bacon or no toast for me." Harry told him solemnly. "I'm sad when I don't get toast, then my tummy hurts."

"Did you get a lot of food, Harry? I mean, what did you eat at Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's house?"

Harry shrugged. "If I burnt the food I got to eat that because I'm rubbish so I can eat the trash. Sometimes warm bread and chunks of cheese. One time I ate a strawberry," Harry said, his voice full of wonder as if a strawberry was the most magical thing he could imagine. "And when I fell at school and hurt my knee, Miss Emily gave me a red lolly."

"Prongslet, look at me," Sirius said, waiting until Harry's eyes fell on him. "You are not rubbish. You are a very special, incredibly loved little boy who deserves nothing but the best in life. I want you to remember that."

Harry nodded. "Okay."

"Harry, did Uncle Vernon ever hurt you again after that day with Aunt Marge?"

Harry wrinkled his nose. "Sometimes when I ask a question he holds my neck like this," he reached forward and put his small hand on Sirius neck, trying to wrap his hand around it. "He holds me up and it hurts and I can't breathe. Sometimes he just lets go or he throws me in my cupboard or against the wall. It always hurts so I don't ask questions."

"You can ask me a million questions every day if you want to," Sirius told him, kissing Harry's forehead.

Harry reached up to touch Sirius' lips with his fingertips, jolting when Sirius kissed the fingertips. "Why do you put your lips on me?"

Sirius' heart broke a little as he kissed his forehead again. "That's a kiss," he kissed Harry's hand and smiled at him. "It means I love you. Sometimes it makes a hurt go away; sometimes it just means hello or goodbye, but it always means I love you."

Harry smiled and gently placed his lips on Sirius' cheek. "Like that?"

Tears welled up in Sirius' eyes as he remembered how freely Harry had planted big wet kisses on all of them as a baby. Remus, James, Lily and Peter — slooch, he would say — before planting a big wet one on the side of your face or on your mouth. And now, the poor boy didn't even know what it was.

"Exactly like that, Harry, slooch," he said smiling. "That's what you used to call them when you were baby."

"Why?" Harry asked, eyes full of bewilderment. "Slooch?"

"Smooch," Sirius said with a smile. "It's another word for kisses and your mum used to always say that she wanted smoochies and you couldn't say that so you said slooch." he told him.

Harry gently placed a kiss on Sirius' cheek and smiled. "Slooch, Uncle Padfoot."

Sirius kissed his cheek in turn. "Back at you, Prongslet."

The fireplace glowed green and Harry's grip tightened around his neck.

Sirius gently ran a hand down his back. "It's okay, it's just the Floo, remember the spinning?"

Harry grinned at the memory, holding onto Sirius as he stood up. A tall thin man with a long white beard stepped out of the fire.

"Albus!" Sirius exclaimed in surprise, "I didn't expect you."

Dumbledore nodded, gently dusting off his robes. "I know, but I wanted to tell you in person about my day at the Ministry. Hello, Harry."

Harry buried his face in Sirius' shoulder.

Sirius gently rubbed his back and carefully sat him down on the couch, slightly flattered when Harry attempted to hold on before agreeing to sit by himself. "Harry, this is Professor Dumbledore. He's the Headmaster of Hogwarts. It's the school where me and your parents and Uncle Moony went. Can you say hi?"

"Hello, Sir," Harry said quietly, grabbing the stuffed doe and holding it close again.

Dumbledore smiled warmly, his eyes twinkling in such a friendly manner that Harry smiled back. "Hello, Harry, it's nice to see you again. And what's that you're holding so closely?"

"A doe. Her name's Lily."

Sirius smiled and shrugged at Dumbledore. "Lily's Patronus was a doe and James' was a stag, I thought that he'd like to have the stuffed animals as a reminder, you know?" When Dumbledore nodded, he crossed his arms. "So, what's going on? Did you go to the Ministry of Magic?"

Dumbledore nodded. "I did. I explained to Cornelius that Petunia Dursley had been granted custody of Harry due to her being his only blood relative and that the guardian chosen by his parents had been wrongfully imprisoned. Now that you have been declared innocent and all charges have been dropped and expunged from your record, you are now his legal guardian and therefore should be able to gain status. Cornelius explained how it would be a simple switch and in less than twenty four hours, you would be able to claim sole custody."

"What did he say about how Harry was treated?" Sirius asked, his eyes on Dumbledore. "I wasn't kidding, Albus, I want them punished."

"I understand, Sirius and that part is going to take a little longer. I did receive a copy of his medical chart from Healer Althea Castellanos this afternoon. The welts on his back and the malnutrition aside, you have further proof of his mistreatment?"

Sirius nodded. "He just told me some of it before you arrived. Physical and psychological abuse — reminds me of home. Thank Merlin they're Muggles because if they had access to the Cruciatus — they probably would have used that too."

"Sirius, no one would use that on a child," Dumbledore said sternly, his eyes dark with rage. "Don't even joke about that."

Sirius thought it was probably best not to tell Dumbledore just how often Walburga Black used that particular method as a form of punishment when he had been a child. "Right, anyway — what's happening?"

"The Auror Department is looking into the case. The more facts we have, the more crimes we can pin to them. But Alastor says that they can be fined and possibly be looking at time in prison if we push for it."

"Azkaban?" Sirius asked hopefully, an image of that whale cowering under the Dementors alone in a dark cell more pleasing to the eye than it should have been.

"Not likely," Dumbledore told him. "A Muggle prison. Alastor plans to present the case to the Muggle law enforcers and then have them follow up on the case. He'll twist it so that no one will come looking for Harry or looking into where he is now. But they will be punished."

Harry had stood up now, grabbing Sirius' hand and squeezing it. "I have to go pee."

Sirius smiled and lifted Harry off of the couch. "I told you, little man, you don't have to ask. Go on." Harry hurried up the stairs as Sirius watched him go, turning back to Dumbledore. "They denied him toilet rights, Albus. So much so that he wet the bed his first night here because he was terrified to go to the loo without permission. And then he was terrified that I would shove his face into his soiled sheets. That shouldn't be a fear."

"No," Dumbledore said, his voice sad. "It shouldn't be. Sirius, I know that you don't want to hear it, but I am very sorry I ever placed Harry there. I thought as his mother's sister, she would protect him and treat him like her nephew, if not her own child. At the time, I thought that it was the best choice for the child."

"Sometimes, Albus, your choices are shite. You should have given him to Remus."

Dumbledore nodded. "I'm an old man, Sirius, and sometimes those choices are indeed shite." He reached for the Floo powder and looked around the cottage. "It's very nice here. The wards are strong and it feels well protected. If you ever need anything for Harry, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Thanks," Sirius told him as he watched him vanish into the flames.

He picked up Harry's stuffed animals and made his way upstairs. It was time for someone to have a bath. He knew that Harry probably didn't need another bath, but he wanted to keep a routine going. To show Harry that baths were normal; that they were fun and meant to get clean. He wanted him to see the routine that he was putting together for him as normal. He also needed to get that cream on his back before bed too, he remembered.

They both needed to get used to the routine.