Interlude 3: A Godfather/Godson Chat
"It's getting late" Molly said. "How about we turn in for the night and pick this up in the morning?"
"In other words," Ginny figured. "You lot want to have that talk about the lesson without us in the room."
"I will assure you Miss. Weasley. That only the professors will be involved." Dumbledore looking pointedly at the non-professor adults.
"I'm assuming this won't include the temps" Moody figured.
"Actually, it will" Dumbledore said.
"In that case, goodnight." Harry said getting up to go to bed.
"Hold it right there Mister." Sirius said.
Harry gave his godfather a confused look. He had NEVER heard that tone from Sirius. Read it certainly from when Sirius had written his response after Harry's one-on-one chat with Krum.
"Since I can't be there with the professors, the two of us are going to have a little chat." Sirius said.
Everyone who had never had the title 'Professor' left the living room and went up to their rooms. Everyone…except Harry and Sirius who went into the kitchen.
"Have a seat Harry" Sirius said.
Harry obeyed. A little too instantly for Sirius' liking.
Remus then poked his head into the kitchen.
"Just seeing how loud we can get" Remus explained "Will you two be long?"
"We'll see" Sirius said.
Remus nodded in understanding before leaving.
"What I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall for that conversation" Sirius chuckled.
"So what do you want to talk about?" Harry asked his godfather.
Sirius sighed.
"Well, reading these books made me realize just how much about you I don't know. And the way you and Ron tense at certain points made me realize that you're keeping secrets. Too many for my liking."
"It's not that I mean to" Harry said. "Just…some of the stuff I got into…those who need to know about it know. And the Dursleys wouldn't care so I learned a long time ago not to bother them with magical details. And I tell you things now. I just don't tell you stuff from before because it's long past and not important."
"It's important to me Harry." Sirius told his godson as he placed a hand on Harry's folded hands that were on the table. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you then, but I'm here now. And I would have wanted to know about the cupboard from you. Not Arthur reading from a book."
"I didn't think it was necessary" Harry said with a shrug. "I have my own room now."
"And the cooking? How long were you doing that?"
"It was just some meals" Harry assured his godfather before sighing and answering the question. "Since I was five."
"And how long were you in the cupboard?" Sirius asked as if scared of the answer.
"Not sure." Harry said with a shrug. "I'm sure I shared with Dudley for a while."
"Harry. I want the full truth." Sirius said. "How bad was it there?"
"It wasn't…" Harry started to deny, but Sirius interrupted.
"It takes a lot to 'stamp' out magic. I need to know what Vernon and Petunia did to you to know if it was done properly and if it could be fixed if it had been" Sirius said. "For the sake of your future health and my sanity, the truth Harry."
"I'm not sure if it'll do your sanity any good" Harry warned "I don't know where to begin. The only thing I can say is they hated me. Almost as much as Snape and Voldemort combined. You heard most of it in the book, but some of it was left out, but implied."
Harry starred off into nothing as he had flashbacks of his childhood.
"I was cooking since I was five and even then it was experimental. If it was done wrong, I was yelled at. I worked long hours doing chores on measly meals…if any. If I did accidental magic…you saw the typical punishment, but the length varied. I didn't know my parents' names until Hagrid told me let alone how they died. I didn't know what they looked like or what they did for a living…Uncle Vernon told me that Dad was unemployed."
Harry had tears forming in his eyes as he was oblivious to all but his flashback.
"I used to get so angry at them for dying on me like that…leaving me with the Dursleys… I knew that the cupboard wasn't typical. Dudley had two rooms and was obviously loved. When I was three I hugged Aunt Petunia…never did it again. She screamed…the same type of scream Ron lets out when he sees a spider. I used to wonder if anyone loved me…if my parents loved me."
Upon feeling Sirius' grip on his hands tighten a bit, Harry pulled back to reality and saw Sirius listening intensively with tears in his own eyes. Harry pulled one hand out from under Sirius' and dried away the tears that had formed against his will.
"Were you ever hit?" Sirius asked the question that had been on his mind since the cupboard was first mentioned.
Harry started to shake his head, but then remembered all the backhands and punches.
"Depends." Harry answered. "Who was throwing the punches?"
"Any of them? Mainly Vernon, but I need to know about Petunia and Dudley. I figured Dudley is a yes."
"The few times he caught me, yes" Harry confirmed. "Aunt Petunia would make to, but never follow through. And sometimes she would miss….there were days when I wondered if she would miss intentionally."
"And Vernon?" Sirius asked.
Harry looked at the floor thinking back on all the times Vernon was rougher than he ought to have been. Without looking up, he nodded.
Sirius' hand came off of Harry's and the table vibrated with a loud BANG as Sirius pounded on it obviously upset with the information.
"Did you tell anyone?"
"Once when I was seven. The Dursleys just laughed and told the councilor that I have an overactive imagination. The councilor didn't seem to believe them and said that he was going to send a social service worker over. They never came and the councilor…" Harry trailed off as if he had made a connection. He shook it away and continued "The Dursleys were a bit mean after they found out I told. Never brought it up again until now."
"Harry." Sirius said. "I don't care what Dumbledore says. Wards or no wards, you're NEVER going back there again…at least alone. Even if I have to live under the cloak."
"But…" Harry argued as he looked up at Sirius who looked…well…serious.
Sirius scooted his chair closer to Harry and placed both hands on Harry's shoulders. A concerned look crossed his face when Harry tensed.
"Reflex" Harry assured Sirius.
"Harry" Sirius said. "You didn't deserve that childhood. Your parents loved you more than anything."
"I know that now" Harry told him. "And I know if I have questions, I can just ask you or Professor Lupin…"
"Don't you forget that" Sirius said. "Out of curiosity, what did you say to the councilor?"
"Nothing much. Hinted about the starving and the hitting" Harry said. "I probably should have mentioned the cupboard. He probably would have brought it to Dumbledore. Now that I think back, I bet that 'social service worker' would have been Dumbledore."
"Maybe." Sirius said.
"Well, the next chapter should be a good one." Harry said changing the subject. "Should be my first flying lesson."
"You should have had THAT with James" Sirius sighed.
"Were you told what happens?" Harry asked.
"No. You're not the only one who's been quiet about your past." Sirius answered. "the Order told me the basics like the parseltongue and you told me about the weird dreams. So how much grey hair should I get tomorrow as we'll probably finish the first book?"
"Well, considering the events concerning Fluffy and Norbert, probably a good…FIRST book?"
"Yeah. There's a set of seven. One of each year of your schooling so you can get a head's up on your fifth, sixth, and seventh years. Maybe get a few sneak peeks at some OWL and NEWT questions…not to mention your love life" Sirius teased.
"Hermione's not going to like that" Harry declared.
"Get to bed" Sirius said. "We have a long day tomorrow."
"Good night Sirius" Harry said as they left the kitchen.
Harry headed for the stairs before a thought hit Sirius a bit too hard. Mainly because he had recalled what he had overheard the Weasleys saying to each other as he went to the kitchen as well as recalling the year he spent at James' place.
"Harry!" Sirius called after his godson.
Harry turned a confused look in Sirius' direction.
"I love you" Sirius said seriously.
It was as if Sirius had feared. For a BRIEF second, a shocked look came across Harry's face indicating to the Marauder that those three words were foreign to the teenager.
However, the shock look melted into a small smile.
"I-I love you too" Harry responded hesitating a bit which was a bit too much for Sirius' liking.
Nobody should have to hesitate with those words. Especially when the love was shining in the eyes.
