While He Is Sleeping
Chapter Four - Twelve Years Gone
In Padfoot form, Sirius sighed. His paws hurt and he as hungry and tired. He wanted badly to sit down, but knew if he did he wouldn't get back up. Sirius was in front of Hogwarts, waiting for the doors to open by that cat... Crookshanks? The cat didn't necessarily give him details on what was going on, but knew Sirius's plan and said tonight was the night.
Finally one of the large doors open and the orange cat stood in opening. Walking into Hogwarts may be too much for Sirius; he hadn't been there in over a decade. Once inside, his eyes closed shut as he walked, trying to dull all of his senses and not just collaspe and roll around on the stone floors. The cat meowed, telling Sirius to follow him to the common room but the dog growled; he knew how to get to his common room.
Sirius also knew, though, that is godson - who wasn't quite the godson he remembered - was sleeping in the dorm that he was going for. When Sirius reached the common room portrait - which he got to himself - he changed back into human form around the corner to read the password. In human form, Sirius was sheet white with long, tangled black hair that hung to the middle of his back. As un groomed as he was now, he think he looked pretty good for someone who had spent twelve years in Azkaban. With all of his thoughts of Harry and James and Lily and Remus, and in Padfoot form where the dementors couldn't affect him as much, he had been as good as you can be while in that hell hole.
Sirius memorized the first five passwords on the parchment Crookshanks had given him a few days prior. He knew the Fat Lady would rat him out as soon as possible so he would have to be quick. Slowly, Sirius moved around, not looking up at the portrait so that she couldn't see his face. But at the sound of... Sir McLaggin!? Sirius let out a hallow laugh; this idiot had been the portrait for one of the Maraurder's passage way so Sirius used to spend a bit of time with him.
And getting in would be easy now! As long as Sirius gave Sir McLaggin the correct password, he could go in with no problems. While the portrait did it's normal joust rutine and asked Sirius multiple times if he would like to fight, Sirius read off the passwords. After a few he got it right and Sir McLaggin stopped what he was doing to sigh. He wung open and let Sirius through; stepping in side his first home away from home hit Sirius like a hex. He wanted to just sink down and sleep on his favorite sofa. There seemed to have been a party quidditch.
Memories of the quidditch parties that had been thrown while Sirius was at school flooded his brain and he had to resist the urge to grab food off of one of the tables as he passed. He knew that if he ate he would just get hungrier. He began climbing up the stairs up through the boy dormitories until he reached the door that was labeled "Third Years." Sucking in and holding his breath, Sirius opened the door carefully to make sure that it didn't squeak and he only opened it enough for his slim form to get through.
There were five beds inside, and he didn't know which one held Peter. He looked at the bed closest to his right side but before peeking in he saw a muggle soccor poster and a picture of a black family. The first boy he saw was a scrawny, freckled one and then the next was a blonde with a round face. Neville Longbottom! Damn he looked like Alice. He and Harry were born on the same day and since the Maraurders and Lily were friends with Frank and Alice, the two babies had had a number of play dates. Sirius knew that Frank and Alice were patatoes in St. Mungo's now, and it broke his heart to think about it. Neville would have been raised by Frank's mother? Poor thing.
The next bed made Sirius freeze. There were quidditch posters all around and a picture on the night stand; which caught Sirius's attention immediately. A messy haired, young man was spinning his red haired wife in front of a stone fountain which Sirius knew to be in Godric's Hallow's square. He had taken the picture of the two himself, and Remus was right next to him, smiling at his friends. The two were grinning and laughed, James winking at Sirius. The picture didn't show it, but Lily was gaining a little belly that held her son.
The man couldn't stop himself, and before he realized what he was doing, Sirius was gently pulling back the curtain around the bed. Harry James was sleeping soudly on the bed. He seemed to still snore, and his was on his stomach with his arms at wierd angles like James had slept. His mouth agape one of his hands was in his wild hair. He looks so much like James, Sirius thought with a surprised smile. He could stand here forever and be the happiest man on the planet.
A squeak from the last bed pulled Sirius back into reality, and he pulled out his knife and walked silently over there. To confirm it, Sirius looked over the posters and the picture of the all redheaded family he had seen in the prophet. With the thought of Harry in his head, he pulled the drape, ready for whatever came next.
The last updated chapter! :) Let me know what you think of it.