I made it in time! Wow! Okay, enough of that...

The reviews:

Maya100: They did question the Dursleys, at least, Dumbledore did, but the Dursleys had no idea who they'd sold Harry to, so they couldn't tell either. Which made searching for Harry quite a bit harder. And about the fact Harry was part wolf/cat, the Dursleys didn't bring it up, and Dumbledore had no reason to think of something like that, so that made the search even harder, as they were searching for a human Harry.
As to why Sirius didn't know about the Dursleys selling Harry... if you were Dumbledore, would you tell Sirius?
Lastly, there will be almost certainly no Dursley-scene, even though Sirius'd love to pay them a 'visit'. But Sirius is too busy with Harry and other... things.

Erik2: Thanks, I really like Sirius-as-dad-stories, so that's why my stories are mostly like that.

The Horns Hold The Halo Up: I really wish I could have had time for that :(

sami1010220: It isn't a what... it's a who... you'll see ;)

Kitsune Foxfire: I know, but it near impossible to make sure it isn't...

And thanks so much for the rest!

Chapter 5: New Beginnings

Seconds later, they landed in the fairly large office of Professor Dumbledore. Being prepared for the landing, Sirius planted his feet firmly on the ground to keep from falling, at the same time steadying Harry.

"Hello again, Sirius, and... is that right... young Mr. Potter?"

"Yes. Harry, this is Professor Albus Dumbledore. He's the Headmaster of Hogwarts, the school you'll be going to in a few years to learn magic."

"Hi..." Harry said shyly.

"Hello, Mr. Potter."

"But like I said before, I'll explain later." Sirius continued. "Is Poppy in the Hospital Wing?"

"Yes, yes, I've sent Fawkes to alert her. Let me accompany you there."

Professor Dumbledore led the way down a whirling staircase, out into a hallway. There, Sirius took a quick pace towards the Hospital Wing, carrying Harry in his arms.

Once there, Sirius was met with the nurse he'd come to know as Poppy Pomfrey. A good woman, but strict when it came to her patients.

"Put him down here, Sirius."

Sirius complied as he put Harry, who'd fallen surprisingly asleep on the way to the Hospital Wing, on one of the beds.

Madam Pomfrey looked her patient over.

"Oh my, he is not...?"

"Yes, Madam, his name is Harry Potter." Sirius said.

She got over her shock surprisingly quickly, turning into full nursing-mode.

"What happened to him?" She asked, as she examined him.

"The wound on his leg is from a tiger, the older wound on his chest from a short Japanese sword when he was forced to fight in a cage-fight. The fairly new welts on his back are from a whip... as to the older bruises and welts, I can only imagine..." He ended grimly.

Before working on, Madam Pomfrey shooed the two men out of the Hospital Wing, though only managed to get Sirius out after promising to alert him if Harry woke up.

Standing in the hallway just outside the Hospital Wing (Sirius refused to go any further), Dumbledore said: "I think now would be an appropriate time to tell about the happenings in Vietnam."

Dumbledore conjured two cushy armchairs and they sat down on them.

"Well, about the mission. Nothing really came up, untill a few days ago. I was in a biker-bar in some village, when they all went outside..." Sirius started telling the story. Only leaving out some unimportant things. "...and we made our way to Mr. Sayuki, where Harry told me Snipe used to sabotage the motorcycle's."

"That's quite an interesting story..." Dumbledore said. "... and I think I owe you an apology for not thinking my plan of sending the boy to the Dursley's could go wrong like this."

Sirius nodded, grinding his teeth to keep from shouting. 'What's done is done.' He reminded himself. 'The only ones to blame are Snipe and the Dursley's.'

Before Sirius could think further on what he'd like to do to the Dursley's, Madam Pomfrey came into the hall to let them inside.

Sirius instantly was at Harry's side, happy to note the bruises and welts at least were gone, as was the wound that had been on Harry's thigh. The gash on his chest though was still a strange shade of purple and green.

"What...?" Sirius asked, looking up at the nurse, only to see her concerned look.

"The chest-wound, it's really harsh... whoever applied it ment to seriously harm Harry, as a poison I've yet to identify was on the sword and now in the boy's body."

"What does it do?"

"That's the problem. I've never seen it before. I'll keep on searching of course, but as of now, I only know it's affecting his lungs, for now."

"I'll ask Severus to have a look at it too." Dumbledore said. "His knowledge on potions is quite extended."

"There's more isn't there..." Sirius said more than asked.

"I'm afraid so. It concerns his right hand. It has several dislocated joints. It's impossible to come near them though, even in his sleep."

Sirius raised his eyebrow. He'd never heard the nurse say something's impossible.

"Impossible how?" Dumbledore asked.

"He's somehow got an impenetrable magical forcefield around it."

"I do?" Came a small voice from the bed.

"Hello, sleepyhead." Sirius greeted.

"Um... hi."

"How come you never told me your hand was hurt?" Sirius asked gently.

Harry shrugged. "It's not too bad... it'll heal on it's own."

"I'm afraid that's not the case." Madam Pomfrey said. "If we don't relocate your joints, it may be very well possible you won't be able to properly use it anymore."

"Could we see it, Harry?" Sirius asked, shooting daggers at the nurse with his eyes.

Harry looked from one to another with uncertain eyes.

"We won't do anything you don't want us to do..." Sirius said.

Reluctantly, Harry removed his left hand from their place around his right and lifted his injured hand so they could see it. And indeed, several joints looked to be in places they weren't supposed to be.

"It hurts to move them." Harry stated.

"We'll give you a painkiller so you won't feel a thing." Sirius said.

"It won't work." Harry said softly, but firmly.

The three adults looked at him inquisitively and he shrank a bit under their gaze.

"Why not, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"Um... Snipe... he always punished me when I didn't do something right... and he broke my ribb once so he had to take me to a doctor or it would puncture my lung or something... he made me drink this potion... he said I deserved the pain and I didn't deserve a painkiller... and they never worked." Harry finished his quiet story.

"Isn't there an antidote against that potion?" Sirius asked.

"No. There's only one potion that could do this, it's illegal and that's a good thing, since it can work for years and when it finally starts wearing off, it'll come back once in a while." Madam Pomfrey said with apparant disgust on her face. "An antidote has yet to be found."

"So now what?"

It was quiet after Sirius' question.

"Just do it. I'll live." Harry said, stunning the adults with his steady, mature, tone.

"Are you sure, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry nodded, biting his lip.

"But please let Sirius stay?"

Madam Pomfrey nodded.

"I'll go get Severus now." Dumbledore said. "And I'll contact Remus and the Ministry too."

"The Ministry!" Sirius exclaimed, though lowered his voice as he saw Harry flinch under the tone. "Why?"

"Because they have to renounce Harry's missing status."

"Fine. But I'm going to be his guardian. I won't let you take him to the Dursley's again!"

Dumbledore nodded before leaving.

"So I'll really be staying with you now?"

"Yes. If you want to."

"I'd like that."

Madam Pomfrey came out of her office with a goblet of some smoky substance in it.

"This is a potion that will make sure your joints will get to the right spot when we move them. And it'll heal them after that." She said handing it to Harry.

Nervously, the little boy swallowed it.

"Ready?" Madam Pomfrey asked him, as Sirius put a reassuring arm around the boy's shoulders. Harry stiffened again at the contact, but not for long. He nodded, biting his lip again.

Madam Pomfrey put her wand in her apron, taking Harry's hand in one hand and his indexfinger in the other.

Sirius could feel Harry stiffening.

Then, a quick motion of Madam Pomfrey and a slight crack and Harry cried out in pain, instinctly pulling back his hand and cradling it against his chest. Trembling, he'd pressed his frame against Sirius' chest, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

Without question, Sirius moved onto the bed behind the boy holding him and rubbing his shoulders soothingly.

"It's allright. It'll be done real soon. You just need to be brave a little while longer..." Sirius soothed. "Only two more..."

It took Harry a few minutes more to build up his courage and again extending his hand, although trembling like a leaf. Sirius tried to give the boy as much comfort as he could, but it had to be done.

Another soft crack and the middle finger was relocated. Harry only whimpered and closed his eyes. The last crack and it was done, leaving a trembling and sobbing boy in Sirius' arms.

"Brave child." Madam Pomfrey murmured, then turned to Sirius, who was soothing Harry.

"Now, Mr. Black, about your back..."

Untill now, Sirius had just ignored his back that had flared in pain quite a few times. He hadn't had any time to think about it though, as he'd been far more concerned for Harry's health.

Madam Pomfrey started prodding and after she touched a certain spot right between two ribbs, he hissed at the unexpected pain.

Madam Pomfrey tutted disapprovingly. "Two bruised ribbs and some milder bruises here and there." She then muttered a few spells and Sirius felt tingling all along his back. The nurse then bustled away before returning with a jar full of an indigo coloured ointment. She went behind Sirius' still bare back and he nearly jolted towards the ceiling when a cold substance hit his back.

Harry whimpered slightly at the sudden movement, but stayed silent further.

"Don't worry, kid. I just startled, is all."

"You're all done here, Mr. Black, though you'll need to pick up some more ointment this evening, for your back. Oh, and Professor Dumbledore requests you go up to his office, the password is 'Ice mice'." With that, she disappeared in her office.

Harry's sniffling had stopped by now and he looked up at Sirius with big, apologizing eyes. "Sorry..."

"What for?"

"Being so weak..."

"Harry..." Sirius said sincerely, looking him straight in the eyes. "Your the strongest boy I know. And you don't have to apologize for things like that, 'kay?"

"Okay..."

Then, after looking them over, Sirius said:

"I think I need to visit Don Rhona as I'm not wearing that much... and we'll have to go shopping for some clothes for you, as you definately don't have my size." Sirius grinned. "Unless you have some clothes at Snipe's place?"

Harry shook his head. "No, just my – oh! Hold on." He then squeezed his eyes shut in concentration.

Curiously, Sirius looked on and then his eyebrows rose as out of thin air, a Katana, two Wakazashi's and a medium-sized dagger appeared, all black with green symbols. Harry opened his eyes again and grabbed the weapons, putting the weapons, along with the adjoining sheets and belts, on the small table besides his bed.

Seeing the confused look on Sirius' face, Harry elaborated: "I don't know why, but somehow if I concentrate hard enough, they just come to me."

"Wicked!" Sirius said, not caring how immature that sounded. He never did say he was mature!

"Never quite grown up, have you Black?"

The man and boy on the bed looked up simultaneously to look at the black-dressed man with the hooked nose who'd commented.

"Good afternoon to you too, Professor Snape!" Sirius replied, sarcasm quite plain with the title.

"The Headmaster is waiting for you in his office, so you might want to hurry up with all the mushy stuff and get moving." Without a further word, Snape vanished into Madam Pomfrey's office.

"Bastard." Sirius said, looking at the closed door.

"Who was that?" Harry asked.

"Severus Snape." Sirius said with distaste. "He teaches Potions here, and he was in the same year as I was back in school. Your Dad and I called him Snivellus. Slimy idiot."

"You don't like him." Harry stated.

"You could say that." Sirius said. "But I'm afraid I have to go see Professor Dumbledore."

"I'll be fine, Sirius." Harry answered the unasked question.

"I'll try to hurry." Sirius said, before leaving the Hospital Wing.

The treck to the Headmaster's office was short and uneventfull and after telling the gargoyle the password, he let himself be taken up to the office. To get the shock of a lifetime as he opened the door.

There, sitting in an armchair in front of the Headmaster was a woman with platinum-blonde hair, her amber eyes complementing it, it suited her quite well. Her blue and silver robes combining to her beauty quite nicely.

"Ah, Sirius, excellent timing. I don't think I need to introduce the two of you? She's been back for a few days now."

Different emotions flashed over Sirius' face in rapid succession, finally settling on a blank stare.

"No, introductions won't be nescessary." He said.

"I'll leave the two of you in private for a while, then." Professor Dumbledore said, before exiting to his private chambers.

"Hi, Sirius." The woman said.

"Hello Elisabeth." Sirius replied coolly.

"You look good ." Elisabeth said. "The years have done you well."

"Yes. They have." Sirius replied, still emotionless.

Elisabeth narrowed her eyes slightly, her jaws clenching. "How have you been?"

"Fine." Sirius knew he was putting Elisabeth on the edge.

"Damnit Sirius!" Elisabeth yelled, her cheeks turning red in anger. "We haven't seen eachother in years and all you can say is 'fine'!"

"What will you have me say, Elisabeth! 'Oh, hi Elisabeth! Don't worry about leaving for over nine years, without thinking for one second! I'm doing quite good, how was the weather in Italy?' "

"Is that what you think! You though it was a one-minute decision! I'd just gotten out of school Sirius! I had my own life to think of! I got a once-in-a-lifetime job opportunity and I wasn't going to waste it on a relationship that hadn't even properly started yet!"

"And what about the rest! What about Remus, James and Lily! What about Harry! You didn't once visit him! Even when James and Lily died!"

"Do you think it was easy for me! Hearing from Remy about Harry's birth, while I couldn't be there for it! Hearing from him that Lily and James died! Hearing Harry was missing! I wanted to be there, damnit! But I couldn't! I had someone to protect that I loved more than life itself!"

"OH! FOUND YOURSELF A GUY DID YOU!"

Somewhere during their fight, Elisabeth had gotten up, making them stand only inches apart.

"NO! I – "

"THEN WHO WERE YOU PROTECTING! IT COULDN'T HAVE BEEN ANY OF US, FOR THAT DIDN'T REALLY WORK OUT NOW DID IT!"

"WILL YOU LET ME FINISH! I WAS TALKING ABOUT MY CHILD, SIRIUS! OUR SON!"

"Wh – What!" Sirius spluttered, his anger diverted for a moment. "Why didn't you ever tell me! Why – When –"

"Well I tried writing to you, but you never answered. After that I got so angry that you didn't even respond, I tried pushing you out of my head and heart alltogether, though it never worked. And I made Remus promise not to tell you about Zach! I was so angry with you, Sirius!"

Sirius was still in shock. "When – How – "

Elisabeth tried holding her composure but failed miserably as she chuckled. "He was born July 31st, practically the same time as Harry did. And how – Well, I hope you know how baby's are born by yourself..."

Sirius blinked, not really processing the words, then was suddenly kissed full on the mouth. It didn't take him long to respond to that, though. Minutes later, they broke apart.

"I've acted really stupid, didn't I?" Sirius said.

"Yeah... But I forgive you."

"And I'll forgive you for leaving just like that." Sirius said. "But where is – Zach you say his name is?"

"Yes. He's still in Italy, with an acquaintance of mine, untill I've found a decent place to stay here."

"So you're in Great Britain to stay?"

"Yes."

"Good." He said, then kissed her briefly. "And allthough I'd love to see Zach, maybe it's for the better he's in Italy for now. As I'm rather having my hands full with an agemate of his. Which reminds me, I've got to get back to the Infirmary."

"I thought Harry was missing? And what's with the new way of dressing? Or non-dressing. Is it a new fashion-trend I missed? Not that I mind, mind you."

"No new fashion trend, let me assure you." Sirius grinned. "It's just that my other clothes have gotten torn up by a tiger and I haven't been able to get home to get other clothing yet. And Harry was indeed missing. The keyword being 'was'. I found him only a day ago, though stumbled across him is more like it, I guess."

"You did! That's great! How is he?"

"He's doing well, considering what he's been through."

Elisabeth eyed Sirius concernedly.

"What happened?"

"I'm positive he's been abused, though to what extend I'm not sure."

"Who'd do such a thing!"

"Some guy named Snipe. But he's dead now."

"Sirius...?"

"No, it wasn't me. I wouldn't have let him off so easily. The tiger ate him. Same tiger that tore up my clothes and hurt Harry. I'll tell you the full story later." He finished, as they arrived at the Infirmary. Elisabeth walked behind him, her eyes wide, mouthing 'Ate him?'.

"Hey, kid." Sirius greeted when he saw Harry was still awake. "Been bored?"

Harry shrugged, sitting up. "It was allright."

"Good. Harry, I'd like you to meet Elisabeth Lupin." Sirius said. "She's... ah..."

"I was good friends with Lily, your Mother, Harry, and I'd like to get to know you, if you don't mind?"

"Um, okay..."

Sirius ruffled Harry's hair, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

Harry winced slightly at the gesture, but then smiled his shy smile.

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\

Well, there you have it. I'm kind of proud of it, since I had to squeeze in writing between bouts of studying... This year is hell!

I really liked writing that fight (don't know why), and it turned out pretty nice I think.

Anyway, tell me what you think...