Chapter Seven
Loosen Up
Night . . .
When Sirius set foot in Harry's room he saw his godson staring off into the sky through his window with an almost sad look on his face. He didn't like seeing Harry unhappy and especially when he knew how much this new experience was going to mean for him.
Harry noticed some movement out of the corner of his eye and looked over to see Sirius leaning on his door staring at him with concern.
"What's wrong Siri?" Harry asked in a quite voice, you could barely hear him.
"I was just about to ask you the same question there, prongslet." Sirius replied walking over to Harry as Harry looked at him in confusion.
"Prongslet?" Harry asked him.
"Your mom and dad use to call you that when you were a baby." Sirius replied picking up Harry in his arms and setting him down on his lap as they sat together on Harry's bed.
Just when Harry was about to reply Harry caught sight of the glimmer of a bright light in the sky. He looked up at it and saw a bright shooting star blazing across the sky.
"Look there's a meteor," Sirius said excitedly "I hope it doesn't burn entirely up."
Harry found it very relaxing to star gaze and soon found himself falling asleep in his godfathers' arms. Sirius didn't mind, but he was still worried about Harry. What had caused Harry to look so sad? He'll have to talk to him in the morning along with Remus.
Morning
Remus, Sirius, & Harry's P.O.V.
"Hey Harry, how are you today?" Remus asked Harry as he came downstairs for breakfast still in his blue pajamas.
"Fine Uncle Remus." Harry said shyly to him still not used to the fact that he had somebody that cared for him.
"That's good." Remus said smiling to him as Sirius shoved down all his food in his mouth next to Harry.
"Here you go." Remus said to Harry handing him his plate of bacon and eggs as he also gave Sirius a disapproving look.
When Remus finally sat down with them at the table Harry was just playing with his food looking deep in thought.
"What's wrong Harry?" Sirius finally asked wipe crumbs of food off his face with his shirtsleeve.
"Nothing." Harry whispered.
"Come now Prongslet, you can tell us." Sirius said giving Harry an encouraging smile.
"Is it … my fault that mommy and daddy died?" Harry asked them still looking down at his plate.
"Course not, Harry, your parents loved you very much. It wasn't your fault at all." Remus exclaimed as Sirius looked grave about the whole thing.
"If anything it was our fault Harry." Sirius whispered.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked him.
"What Sirius means is that nobody could have expected your parents deaths, it was nobody's fault, especially not yours. When your much older, we'll try to explain to you much more deeper about the situation, but for now all you need to know is that it wasn't your fault." Remus exclaimed.
"Okay." Harry replied looking much more happier than he did before.
"I've got to go find us some work if we're going to stay here Remus, I'll catch up with you guys later." Sirius replied leaving out the front door. Remus sighed in deep frustration; he knew what Sirius was really up to. Sirius was never going to let James and Lily's death go.
"Hey Harry, how about we go to the park, hmm? Would you like that?" Remus asked him.
"Yea!" Harry said excitedly.
"Well hurry up and finish your breakfast then." Remus replied deep in thought.
Once outside Sirius could be heard jumping onto the back of a Honda Valkyrie, (a bike that was the equal of him in bike-world). Then would rev the engine a couple of times, never once having a second thought. The roar of the monster bike could be deafening. The red taillights grew smaller and dimmer as he sped off to wherever he went when he wasn't sitting and brooding. That was just the life style to fit him. And he loved being a biker type of guy.
As he rushed along the side roads, he paid close attention to all the things of the day that had earned his love. He felt the wind whip through his long dark hair, listened to the air howling past the monster bike, as if it were enraged at him for passing it by. If the road was long, and passerbies were few, he would close his eyes and just feel the movement of his bike and the friction of the road beneath him. When he again opened his eyes, the process of relieving stress would be complete.
Why had things happened the way they did? He asked himself that hopeless question over and over, until the very thought of the words burned in his mind like eternal damnation. He suddenly pushed the bike even faster than his usual reckless speed. If he slowed down, if he stopped the ride, the world would go dark on him again and he knew that he would give up the fight. Silently he prayed that a truck would come out of nowhere, like an angle from the god he knew didn't exist, and end his pain. Prayed that a deer would leap in front of him so he would die in the dirty ditch. He knew that's where he belonged. In a ditch dying.
Where had he been when James and Lily needed him the most? Why couldn't he see that Peter was the true traitor? Why didn't he confine in Remus? All Harry had now is him and Remus and it's all his fault.
Morning …
Weasley's P.O.V.
The rain was starting to let up. Ron and the rest of his brothers and sister had been staying inside because of it. He and Ginny were watching cartoons on the T.V.
"Molly honey, why don't we go outside for a bit of fresh air? We've been stuck in this house for ages!" Mr. Wealsey exclaimed as Ron and Ginny looked up hopefully to their mothers' answer.
"I don't know; Fred and George are coming down with a cold, serves them right really. What were they thinking dancing naked in the rain all day? Anyway, they've been grounded, it really wouldn't seem fair if the rest of the kids left would it?" Molly asked her husband as they spoke in front of Ron and Ginny in the living room.
Ron and Ginny were hiding their laughter as they remembered Charlie and Bill daring the twins to go outside naked. They had betted the twins 5 knuts that they wouldn't dare do it. It was very hilarious when Percy ran screaming to their parents that he saw Fred and George running around naked outside his window.
"How about I just bring the kids to the park hmm? Just for a few hours? You can punish Fred and George while were gone for a bit, is that okay?" Mr. Weasley asked as Ron and Ginny gave Mrs. Weasley a pleading look.
"Oh … alright, but just for a few hours Arthor, I still don't really trust these people." Molly muttered as Mr. Weasley nodded in understanding.
"We will honey. Ron, Ginny, why don't you call down Percy, Bill, and Charlie down so we can go." Mr. Weasley replied to his children.
Morning …
Jenkins P.O.V.
"Your making me do what?" Noelani asked shocked to her mother as the family was eating breakfast at the table.
"Babysitting. I'll give you twenty bucks by the end of the day," she retorts pointedly.
Noelani raises her eyebrows.
"But mom, I was going to go hang out with my friends today! How am I going to see any cute guys if Benny is there?" Noelani wined as Benny grinned at Noelani's discomfort.
"What? You're to young to be going out with any boys! You need to spend some quality time with your brother for a change. I'll be back at 7:00 tonight. I'll have your aunt or my friend Wafi to check on you guys okay … actually, I think I got Wafi staying here till I come back. You'll have fun anyway so no more pouting alright?"
"Oh great somebody else I have to watch over. Wafi is no grown up." Noelain retorted.
"I like Wafi, he's funny, and especially the time when he got his head stuck in-between the stair bars. That was funny." Benny exclaimed giggling.
Zahia got up from the table and kissed her two kids stopping at Benny. "Benny honey, please try and control your powers, I know it's sometimes hard for you, but its necessary that you stay out of trouble okay?" Zahia asked him as Benny nodded that he understood.
"Yes mommy, I'll try my very best." Benny said as Zahia smile at him.
Being a single mom suited Zahia's independent nature. Sole parenthood was logistically and emotionally challenging, certainly, and carried an almost overwhelming responsibility, but there was simplicity in being Benny and Noelani's whole world. There was no energy wasted on disagreements or compromises with a co-parent with different ideas, and she didn't have to worry about counteracting someone else's bad habits or negative influences.
Still she had to worry about Benny's magic outburst that seemed to keep blasting out every time he was mad or scared. She also worried about what the neighbors would think if they found out about Benny's powers. Noelani was very supportive of Benny even though Benny was adopted, she wasn't jealous in the least bit of him. She loved the whole idea of having another sibling.
Still, the orphanage never said anything about Benny being 'special'. Zahia had to take a lot of extra cautions now that her husband was dead and especially since she was a single mother now.
Zahia bit her lower lip deep in thought until there was a knock on the door.
The door opened and Wafi appeared.
"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting something." Wafi replied as he went straight into the kitchen and into the fridge.
"Noo … course not … just help yourself to my food that you always eat without asking." Zahia said sarcastically.
"Thanks." Wafi replied as he had a mouth full of donuts squished in his mouth.
"I've gotta go. I'll see you guys tonight okay? Behave, that includes you to Wafi." Zahia replied leaving out the door for work teaching college students.
The Neighbors P.O.V.
Many didn't know the families' name. More because they didn't want to or rather that they just didn't want to get around to it.
The Park . . .
Remus grinned with immense satisfaction as the ball flew through the hoop and bounced back into his outstretched arms. Very rarely did he allow himself the opportunity to relax such as he was now, and when he managed to find time for something as simple as basketball, it always proved a welcome distraction from the "real world".
Who would have thought the Weasley's would be here along with the Jenkins kids at the same time today. There were a lot of children there, all laughing and playing now that the sun was out.
Noelani was sitting on a bench reading -- almost ready to turn the page she's gone over three times -- when Charlie and Bill sit down beside her. Charlie was sitting on Noelani's left side of the bench and Bill at her right.
"Hullo, rosebud," Charile says and plucks the book from her hands. "It's much too hot to study."
"He's right, daisy," Bill says. "There was a boy in Charlie's year who studied in the August heat and his head blew up like a balloon and exploded."
"They found bits of his brain a mile away," Charlie adds.
"It's a novel," says Noelani, and smiles. Charlie nods and hands Noelani her book. "Whatever you say, we'll see you later, primrose." Bill replied and they both stand and leave.
Wafi emerged from a convenience store with three large red frozen drinks while walking back towards Arthur Weasley and Remus Lupin while Benny went and played with Harry and Ron.
"Drink up," Wafi ordered, handing the guys their drinks from the tray.
"All thirty-two ounces?" Remus Lupin asked, doubtfully.
"If that's what it takes to stave off heat prostration." Wafi replied sitting down with on a little picnic table watching the kids.
Remus raised the straw to his lips and took a small sip. "It's not terrible."
"Not terrible?" Wafi repeated incredulously. "Cherry Slurpees are fun. They're playful, they're sweet, they're tart -- they're the essence of summer."
Soon the rest of the day was spent talking, hanging out in the park, playing Frisbee and eating hot dogs. That was that is until a loud popping noise was heard about fifteen times and thousands of masked figures in cloaks were walking around heading right towards the group.
A/N Thanks for the review I loved them! Sorry it took so long to update