I know I forget to thank people for reviewing, but I really enjoy reading them!
Thanks for reading!
thrnbrooke: you've hit the nail on the head
hr
/Everything is going just like I knew it would. They'll have to believe me. I'll see to it./
hr
Sirius was forced to call the police when Harry didn't show up by the end of the day.
The whole time he waited his eyes would always glance towards the kitchen, before looking away. It was the stress that was doing it to him, and being here, in this house. Sirius had abandoned it years before, yet couldn't bring himself to sell it. It just had too many memories...
Sirius felt his throat begin to itch, feeling dry, as he longed to...
He jumped when a knock sounded on the front door. Harry!
Sirius flung open the door and indeed the dark-haired boy was on the other side, with an officer holding him by the collar.
"Is he yours?" The officer asked.
Sirius could only nod and the man released Harry, who immediately took off for his room.
"I found him on the front steps." The officer looked at Sirius condescendingly.
"Oh." /Dammit!/ Here he was going crazy with worry, and Harry hadn't even gone anywhere. If he had only looked...
"Just don't let it happen again... Mr. Black, is it?"
"Yes." /Dammit!/ Sirius repeated. But the officer didn't comment on it.
"Have a nice day." The man turned and left.
Sirius stood for a moment, in the open doorway, before closing it. "Dammit!" He said it aloud, this time.
hr
Making up with Harry wasn't easy, partly because Sirius didn't think he was entirely wrong. Harry had to talk to someone, and soon. The boy was having nightmares at least once every couple of weeks; Harry was usually more withdrawn and easily upset the next morning.
Sirius would often come to him when it happened, but he would stay away until Harry woke. After he would just talk to him until he fell asleep, not about the dreams, just general talking, sometimes about his parents. Sirius wanted him him to feel like he wasn't alone.
Having Harry around helped Sirius a great bit. Harry... destracted him. Most of the time. Even Harry could tell that Sirius wasn't entirely happy at times, more that simple depression. Every now and again, he would his god-father staring, not into space, but at the house. Sirius still hadn't been able to bring himself to change anything.
One day, a saturday after Sirius had left for his new job, Harry decided he had had enough. Besides, it would be a way to pay the man back. His god-father had mentioned that Harry's glasses were ready and that he would be picking them up on his way home. Harry almost aloud himself to feel happy. He was starting to get headaches when he had to strain his eyes.
Harry knew he didn't have long, so he decided on what would make largest difference, the grass, which was getting way to high in his opinion. There was a shed behind the house, Harry just hoped there was a lawn mower. And gas.
The motions were familiar to him, of coarse. Harry had to quickly learn a few new things soon after Robert 'disappeared'. He would wonder sometimes, less often then before, if Robert's relatives had actually found him. Harry hoped so... but he doubted it. Robert shouldn't have helped him.
He pushed the thought away, he needed to get to work.
hr
Harry sat in front of the tv, looking like he was doing his homework, but truthfully he was nervous as hell. Should he have done anything? Sure, his god-father had been promising to do it ever since adopting Harry, but the man had neither moved a finger to do it himself or told Harry to. Maybe he wanted the house to stay the way it was. Harry had only mowed the grass, but...
So, Harry nervously sat, waiting for Sirius to return.
hr
Sirius sat, stunned, in his car for half an hour before getting out. It had changed, more like before.
He hated it.
Sirius said nothing when he entered the house. Harry looked up from his work when he heard the door open. He started to greet the man, when he saw the stormy expression. Frozen in place, he watched as Sirius walked straight to his bedroom, without saying a word.
/Shit!/ But it was too late for Harry to change anything. Shaking slightly, he gathered his papers, and rushed to his room, not wanting to be there when Sirius came back out. Harry would have to figure out what he did wrong, so he didn't make the same mistake again. He didn't want to go back to orphanage, again; he had to find a way to make Sirius like him. Then, Harry only had to wait until he was eighteen... He would leave.
hr
Harry woke when felt a tap on his shoulder, looking into black eyes that were moist; it was Sirius. He was the only person who touched him.
"Harry..."
/It's the middle of the night/ Harry opened his eyes, but didn't get up.
"Harry, I came to apologize. You did mow the grass?" Harry nodded. "I should have said thank you. It's just..." But Sirius couldn't say it. "Well, nevermind that. Next time I'll help you. We can do it together, starting next week, when I have more money. How about that?" Sirius looked hopeful, but inside he was still hurting. He could do this for Harry, but had he lost his chance? "We could maybe get to know each other, you know?"
/He still wants to have anything to do with me?/ Harry wondered. Was it true? "Yeah. Oh, I mean yes."
Sirius laughed slightly, his eyes warming. "No need to be so proper with me, Harry. That also goes with calling me 'Mr. Black'. 'Sirius' is good enough for me, understand?"
"Yes, Sirius." Harry smiled back, slightly smaller than Sirius'.
"Good enough." He quirked an eyebrow. "Get some sleep, Harry. 'Night."
/You're the one who woke me up!/ But he just said "Goodnight."
hr
"I want to talk about something, Harry. Something serious." Harry, who had been helping Sirius cook, looked up, stunned. What was it?
"Harry, it's about your dreams." Sirius began, suddenly looking at Harry. Lately, he hadn't been pressuring Harry to talk to him, but he could tell that the boy wasn't quite happy.
"I haven't had of those dreams in a while, Sirius." Harry replied, hoping his god-father would drop the subject.
"I don't believe you. They aren't as bad, but you still have them. You talk in your sleep." Sirius looked at Harry sadly. "Who hurt you, Harry?" Harry's 'milder' dreams weren't any less terrifying than the ones that made the boy scream. Sirius had, to many times, heard Harry begging someone, pleading for them no to hurt him anymore. Sirius had gotten enough of it.
"No-one. No-one has hurt me." Harry was looking Sirius right in the eyes as he said it, hating himself for the lie.
"Don't lie." Sirius said tensely. "But, anyway, I've set up an appointment for you."
/What?!/ The knife Harry had been holding clattered on the counter. "Appointment?"
"You need to see a psychiatrist, Harry."