Fragments of Us

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Warnings: None for this chapter.

Chapter 26 – Promises Renewed, Relationships Deepened

Sirius entered his bedroom more completely exhausted than any time he could remember – including the year spent on the run, as Padfoot. He brought his hand to his chest, seeking and finding the golden promise ring suspended from Kate's chain. While he never imagined their conflict would end this way, he was beyond grateful that Kate had agreed to give their relationship another chance. Sirius stripped off his robes, tossing them in the bathroom hamper then reached up to unclasp the chain before stepping into the shower. He paused before doing so then brought his hands down to his sides. No, he thought to himself. This stays where it is until Kate takes it off and allows me to put this ring back on her finger, where it belongs. He turned the water to hot and stepped into the stream.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Kate sank down into the hot, scented water and closed her eyes. Her throat was raw and her eyes were heavy and sore from crying. She lifted her hand from the water and gazed at the spot where Sirius' ring had been. Her hand felt lighter without the solid weight of the gold band on her finger. Kate didn't regret what she had done; it was far better for both of them where it was. Would it work this time? Would they work this time? Kate truly didn't know. What she did know was that this time, Sirius was deeply committed; she had seen it in his eyes. Merlin, she thought as she stepped out of the tub, please let it work this time. I couldn't take a repeat of these past few days… and neither can he.

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Harry entered the kitchen the following morning to find it empty. He started a fire in the hearth then made tea on the old stove. Sipping the scalding tea carefully, Harry sat to the right of Sirius' chair and thought over the events of the previous day. He smiled as he thought of Kate and the stories she'd shared with him over lunch. He hadn't really had a chance to talk to Sirius when they'd returned. Harry's smile disappeared as he thought of the raised voices – one of them Sirius' – that had drifted up from the kitchen last night. Harry knew that his Godparents were having problems and it bothered him. Sirius had lost so much in his life – his family, his friends and 12 years of his life. He had gotten Kate back; Harry just hoped Sirius could work it all out in his head and keep her. Harry was also mindful of the fact that he had a personal stake in their success – they were the closest thing to parents he had – and he was determined to keep them.

The sound of footsteps in the stairwell brought Harry out of his thoughts and he looked up to see his Godfather enter the kitchen. Harry took in his appearance with a single glance: Muggle jeans, the sweater Kate had given him for Christmas and black leather boots; his shoulder length-hair was clean and combed, beard and mustache were neatly trimmed. It was a vast improvement over the disheveled appearance Sirius had been sporting for the past couple of days.

"You're up early," he greeted Harry with a smile. "Did you sleep well?"

Harry returned the smile, glad to see that Sirius' disposition had also improved. "Yes," he said. "I guess I was more tired than I thought. I never even made it back down here last night for some of Mrs. Weasley's chocolate cake."

"You had a good time, then," Sirius fixed himself a mug of tea and sat in his chair.

"Yeah," Harry said, a smile lighting up his face. "It was great."

"Tell me?" Sirius asked, quickly adding, "You don't have to, if you'd rather not; if you'd like to keep it private." The last thing the elder man wanted was to make Harry feel as if he was the subject of an inquisition. Sirius was also aware that the boy knew that things had been "off" between Kate and him, and so might not wish to talk about their day for fear that Sirius would be critical.

To his relief, the boy shook his head. "No, Sirius. I want to tell you. A lot of it was about you – and Mum and Dad. I want you to hear and then, maybe, you'll be able to remember, too."

Sirius reached over and squeezed Harry's hand. "Then, tell me," he said, his voice slightly hoarse.

'Well," Harry began, eyes twinkling mischievously, "Did you know that Mum only let you babysit for me if Kate came along to babysit for you?"

Sirius' eyebrows rose. "I'm sure you misunderstood Kate, Harry," he said.

Harry laughed out loud. "No, Sirius, I believe I heard her quite clearly. I'll give you a hint: think 'dirty nappies' and 'Madam Pomfrey'." He then sat back, folded his arms across his chest and watched his Godfather's face.

Sirius' face was puzzled – at first. As he considered Harry's words, however, his expression began to change. It was obvious to the boy that his Godfather was searching the corners of his mind for any glimmer that might lead him to the memory at which Harry had hinted. Finally, with heightened color in his cheeks, he looked up at Harry and sheepishly asked, "Was there a belly button involved?"

Harry smirked at him and nodded, slightly. "Mine," he said.

"Ah," Sirius replied. "Well, Harry, you have to realize that your Mum was not impressed with attempts to improve some of the less appealing … processes that went into taking care of you. She wasn't very progressive in that regard. So, when I used a simple vanishing spell designed to make the whole nappy-changing experience less…disgusting, she was quite unreasonable about it all."

"And the disappearance of a body part didn't have anything to do with her being unreasonable?" Harry was enjoying this rare chance to tease Sirius about the past. Kate was right – it felt really good to be able to trigger a memory.

"Now, see," Sirius said, shaking his head and trying to look woeful. "this is yet another example of what I was talking about last week – sometimes you do remind me of the less adventurous, more serious side of Lily. Very unMarauder-like, I must say."

They drank their tea in companionable silence for awhile, and then Harry spoke again. "Sirius, last night, after the meeting, I heard a lot of yelling going on down here. What happened?"

Sirius' face darkened for a moment then his hand came up and rested over the ring, safely tucked beneath his jumper. No secrets. "I'm afraid I contributed to the yelling," he confessed to the teenager. "Bill Weasley took offense to something I said – and rightfully so. I lost my temper and yelled back at him. He left."

Harry watched Sirius carefully throughout his comments. "What did you say that set him off?"

Sirius looked frankly at Harry. "I said something very unfair and disrespectful about Kate." As Harry frowned at him, Sirius held up his hand. "Harry, sometimes, I get an idea in my head and it's hard for me to be objective or to really sit down and think a situation through. Usually, the idea comes about because of something emotional that's happened and I let it overtake my logic. It happened before Azkaban, but the tendency intensified while I was in prison. I can't explain it very well," he sighed. "I worry…about you, about losing…people I care about. I can misinterpret the actions of others and the misinterpretation can take on a life of its own, depending upon what else is going on." Sirius stopped and shook his head. "I get angry and I lose my temper. Sometimes, I can't stop that from happening."

Harry reached over and stilled Sirius' fingers, which had begun to fidget, twitching and drumming on the table. "It's ok, Sirius," he said quietly. Sirius extracted one of his hands and placed it over Harry's and nodded.

"Is that what happened last night?" Harry wanted to know. "You lost your temper and said something about Kate that made Bill mad?"

"Yes," Sirius replied, sadly. "And it was uncalled for and completely untrue."

Harry took a breath. "Sirius, I know things aren't good between you and Kate right now, but do you think you guys can work things out? I mean, it's selfish of me to say this – because it's your life and all, but I haven't had much time with you and I've just found Kate. I really had a good time with her yesterday and I like the idea of having a Godmother; I like her, Sirius and I understand why Mum and Dad liked her, too. You two are the only family I have and … well … I just don't want to lose that."

Sirius squeezed Harry's hand. "You won't, Harry. I promise you, you will not lose us." Harry nodded and Sirius said, again, "I promise."

"I believe you," Harry said, simply.

"Thank you," Sirius said. "In fact, Kate and I spoke for quite awhile last night," he added.

Harry's eyes widened. "And…?"

Sirius smiled. "'and' she's given me another chance to redeem myself from my previous idiocy."

Harry smiled. "Good. As I said, I like the idea of having both of you."

"So do I, Harry. So do I," Sirius said softly.

"Good morning, gentlemen," Kate said, pausing in the doorway. "I don't suppose you've left any tea for a woman in desperate need of caffeine, have you?"

Harry watched Sirius' face brighten tremendously at Kate's arrival and he found himself smiling, as well. Please let this work this time, Harry sent a silent prayer to whatever Deities might be listening.

"What do you say, Harry?" Sirius was asking him. "Interested in sharing our tea with this poor waif?"

Kate rolled her eyes as she sat down next to Sirius. "Careful, Sirius," she said slyly. "I might be compelled to share embarrassing stories from your past with our Godson."

Sirius and Harry exchanged amused expressions. "You've lost your power to frighten me, Kate. Harry and I have two words for you: "belly" and "button". Sirius gave her a sidelong glance and finished, "Do your worst."

Harry choked on his tea and Kate laughed out loud. When she recovered, she said, "Ah, I see what I'm up against. A little two against one here, eh?"

"Never, Katie girl. From now on, I only play fair and square," Sirius said, leaning over and giving her a chaste peck on the cheek.

Kate feigned a horrified look. "Merlin, Sirius, don't do that! I wouldn't know how to behave and, frankly, I think the shock would kill you!"

A smooth, silky voice cut through the laughter that greeted her last remark. Severus Snape had silently entered the kitchen. "What a heartwarming little scene. Thankfully, I've not yet eaten breakfast, so there's no danger of it repeating itself!"

Sirius' previously positive mood evaporated in an instant and he stood and faced his childhood enemy. "And to what do we owe the displeasure of your slimy company, Snivellus?" Sirius growled.

Snape's lips curled into his trademark sneer. "The Headmaster wanted me to deliver some news to Mr. Potter, unpleasant as it will be for us both. It seems that the Dark Lord has some connection to your mind, Mr. Potter as you may have realized with the attack on Arthur Weasley. We have no way of knowing if this connection is known to him, however, Dumbledore wishes that you begin studying Occlumency with me upon your return to Hogwarts."

"I will not permit my Godson to endure additional occasions of abuse at your hands, Snape," Sirius said, his voice low and threatening. "Dumbledore's a gifted Occlumens. Why is he not teaching Harry himself?"

Snape fixed Sirius with a withering gaze. "The Headmaster did not choose to enlighten me with the detail of his decision, Black. Let it suffice for me to say that his decision has been communicated to me and is final. It matters not whether you or I, for that matter, agree with him. It is his wish and so I will comply – as will you, Mr. Potter."

"Fine," Harry's tone was less than respectful, but he took his cues from Sirius and he, clearly, hated the man.

"Black, as Potter's guardian, you will need to sign this," Snape pressed an authorization form into Sirius' hand. "See that it's signed and given to Potter for his return. I won't ask for another." Before Sirius could retort, Snape turned and headed for the stairs, his robes billowing behind him.

Kate had watched this exchange silently. She, of course, knew Snape from both their days at school and now, in the Order. While she had no love for the man, she knew that Sirius despised him – and his access to Harry. She expected that he would air his views loudly now that Snape had left.

To Kate's surprise, although Sirius took several deep breaths to steady himself, he merely turned, once composed and put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Come on, Harry," he said. "Let's throw together some breakfast, yeah? We'll put Snape behind us for the rest of your holiday – starting now. Why don't you set the table?"

Harry nodded and walked away, still clearly irritated by Snape's visit. After he had gone, Kate leaned toward Sirius and kissed his cheek gently. "Nice recovery," she whispered.

Despite his own frustration with the Potions Master, Sirius gave her a small smile and brought his hand up to cover the ring beneath his jumper. "I promised, remember?"

Kate brought her hand up and smoothed it over his cheek. "Yes, and I'm proud of you," she said.

Sirius' face softened and he brought her hand around to his lips, kissing the palm gently. "That's what matters to me," he whispered, then dropped her hand gently and moved to the stove to begin breakfast.