Chapter Four
A Home Gone Overboard
"I can't paint it blue, I just can't." Sirius said as Remus held up the light blue paint choice.
"Alright, no blue." Remus said with a nod.
"What about Red?" Sirius said with a smile.
"Red? In a baby's room?" Remus replied stiffly.
Sirius nodded. "I don't want it to look like any of Lily's nurseries, she did green and yellow, she did cream and brown, and finally she did the blues and I can't do it. I just, I can't have it the same." He said, attempting not to tear up.
Remus nodded, he too could remember all three of Harry's rooms that Lily so carefully decorated. "Red it is, and gold I am assuming?"
"Whatever else would I choose?" Sirius asked with a smile.
Over the last week and a half he and Remus had worked together to pull the house in order, only taking a break for the full moon, which Remus insisted on using the cellar for so they wouldn't have to leave. It went unspoken that Sirius would not be transforming with him, they couldn't face doing it without James. It just seemed wrong on every level.
Once the moon had set the next morning they transformed the cellar into a safe room for emergencies to keep all others excluding Sirius and Harry out. They had childcharmed the stairs, put up a child barrier charm on the bank of the river, and an impenetrable intruder charm. They warded the house from apparition, and dark marks. The fireplace had been connected to the floo network but was accessible only by Sirius or Remus, otherwise you had to wait for someone to open the line to let you out of the fire. Sirius had even reluctantly allowed Dumbledore to come and set his own charms and protections about the property. He hadn't even come close to forgiving either of the men for doubting him when he tried to tell them the truth. He was only accepting their help for Harry's sake. And because he knew that he could not keep Remus from Harry, James wouldn't have wanted that. And he knew he would need the help. He may be an alright Godfather but a father he was not.
Dumbledore was still trying to convince him to leave Harry at Privet Drive but Sirius was adamant, Harry was coming home with him. Knowing that Remus was helping, and seeing that there was no way that Sirius was going to lose the custody battle for the boy, he decided that the only thing left to do was to put up his own words and protections on the house. He even used some of Voldemort's actual blood in order to ward the house against him in any incarnation. He had to admit, having the boy in an entirely different country had its advantages, he wasn't likely to be recognized and no one would even think to look for him here. As far as Dumbledore knew no one even knew that this house was still even in Remus' family, or rather now was now Sirius'. He had sealed the homeowner's records to all sight but his own, Sirius, and Remus. The ministry wouldn't even be informed of Harry's exact location, a decision made after the sudden and unfortunate attack on the Longbottom family, resulting in their immediate hospitalization. This made Albus even more wary, but with Sirius' refusal, the best he could do was make it safer for them all.
0o0o0o
After shopping so much that the Black family vault was considerably emptier Sirius and Remus stood in the finished child's room. Sirius was staring at the box that held the brand new, white, wooden cot. It was still unassembled.
"Does he have to sleep in that? Isn't he big enough for one of those little mini beds?" he asked, just looking at the picture of the baby bed made him sick to his stomach.
"He could get out of a toddler bed too easily, he is only 16 months old Sirius. He is still just a baby." Remus replied.
"I can't put him in that. Or rather, I don't think I can take him out of it…or walk up to it if he is crying." He muttered.
"How is it any different than the playpen downstairs?" Remus asked.
"It is. It just is. You don't know. You weren't there. I-I had to step over a dead body to take him out Remmy. Harry's blood was all in the bedding. I just, I can't do it, I can't. Can we put a playpen in here?"
"I don't think the case worker would approve of that. He needs the cot." Remus said firmly.
"Well, put it up then but I am not putting him in it. I will put another playpen in my room." Sirius said stubbornly.
"What if we put up the cot, until all of the court proceedings are done and finished, and then, we can take it down and put up the toddler bed?"
"I don't want that in here at all." Sirius argued, glaring at the offending box.
"Fine, fine, we will keep the cot just in case they say something and then if they do we will put it up. Let's go get a toddler bed." He sighed, heading for the door again.
00o0o0
Remus looked around the room, who knew setting up this room would have been that difficult. The dark red walls actually looked really good with the gold window topper. The small little bed sat in the corner of the room, topped with gold and red striped bedding and the newly cleaned and repaired Godric the lion. Dumbledore had returned it to Remus after dropping Harry off at his relatives'. There was a changing station and a rocking chair, all in matching white wood like the toddler bed, and the unconstructed cot that was currently taking up space in the attic. There was a chest filled with brand new toys, both magical and muggle, a shelf of books and coloring pads, boxes of crayons and a pack of color change child's washable inks from Wee Wizards' Toy Shop.
They had spent far more of Sirius' inheritance than was entirely necessary on this room alone, set aside the entire house. It was perhaps a good thing that Sirius was the final remaining Black and that he owned all of their inheritance. It was the only way he and Remus could have afforded to do this. They had also bought two extra playpens, Sirius had insisted that he needed one in his room and that Remus needed on in his downstairs room as well, never mind that there was one in the sitting room already. If Harry hadn't been spoilt before, he certainly was going to be now.
Today was the day that Sirius had the hearing. Yesterday the case worker had come and inspected the house after being sidelonged by Sirius to the location. Remus knew the house was set up as perfectly as they could have done it, that it couldn't have been any safer had they encased it in a bubble made from the strongest protection charm. He was also fairly sure that it had helped that Sirius had dated the case worker briefly at the end of her seventh year, the beginning of his fifth. He was thanking his lucky stars that they had ended on great terms, in fact she flirted the entire way through the visit. She had nothing negative to say about anything they had done. She did suggest a lock box for each of their wands that would only open to their touch. Sirius had run out and bought one for every room. Remus was certain that his account was going to be empty by the time Harry arrived in his new home.
"Are you ready? Do you think that this looks alright? Do I look fit enough to give a kid to?" Sirius asked frantically as he walked into the hall, having heard Remus in the child's room.
"Sirius, I don't think that dress robes make you any more able to raise a one and a half year old. This is just protocol. There is no chance that they won't give you Harry, you are already his legal guardian." He said soothingly as he buttoned his own robes.
Sirius huffed and headed for the door. "Well come on, I can't be late." He insisted.
"You have forty-five minutes." Remus replied, eyebrows raised.
"Just, come on." Sirius huffed.
0o0o0o
His pacing was driving Remus mad.
"Sirius sit down." He demanded.
"I can't." he said temperamentally.
His emotions were so overtaxed it was ridiculous. Remus was scared he was going to snap before it was over and done with.
"Sirius Black?" a cool voice said from the door that stood at the end of the hall.
Sirius jumped like he had been scalded and rushed forward, Remus followed a few steps behind. When they entered the office they found that Dumbledore was already inside, seated around a rectangle table beside of Crouch. On Crouch's other side sat Melanie Abbott, the case worker. Fudge sat at the end of the long table and what they assumed to be an undersecretary sat to his left. Sirius sat in the empty chair across from Dumbledore, Remus took the seat to his immediate right. At the other end of the table sat two women, one who looked to be in her early fifties and another that Remus instantly recognized as a Ravenclaw a few years his elder. Bones was her surname he believed.
The older woman at the end of the table spoke. "This meeting is to decide the permanent custodial placement of the minor child, Harry James Potter. We the department of the safe keeping of underage magic and well- being acknowledge the plea of Sirius Orion Black as sole guardian and Godfather as set forth in the will of the child's deceased parents, James and Lily Potter."
Remus glanced at Sirius, he looked like he was going to be sick at any moment. He could understand, they had all but completely avoided the topic of Lily and James over the last weeks, focusing solely on Harry. He was fairly certain that unless specifically asked about it, Sirius hadn't even mentioned Lily or James, besides when refusing to decorate the room like a nursery.
"I am to understand that you have acquired a home for you and the aforementioned minor child?" The woman directed towards Sirius.
He gulped before replying. "I have." He said simply.
"And it is out of this jurisdiction?" she said coolly.
"It seemed to be in the best interest of Harry that we not live in England at this time, both for his physical and emotional safety. Although we have made arrangements to still have his magic traced by this ministry and we are still liable here, the French ministry has already agreed to terms set forth and I will follow both sets of laws to the letter." Sirius said, just as they had prepared.
"In your findings Miss. Abbott, did everything at the dwelling seem safe, secure, and appropriate for a child?"
"It did, it was more than adequate as you see in my report. I made only one suggestion and within hours of my departure I received an owl with a payment report showing the purchase of several touch sensor wand boxes."
"In your opinion, will this child be well cared for and nurtured in this environment?" she directed towards Melanie.
"I believe that we are more in danger of Harry Potter becoming the most over indulged child to ever attend Hogwarts than we are of him not being cared for if he lives with Sirius Black."
Remus saw Dumbledore chuckle slightly and his eyes twinkle at the honesty in the statement.
"Mr. Black, who will reside with you and the child?"
"Erm…No one, it will be the two of us." He said, confused.
"Remus Lupin will not live with the two of you?"
"No, he has a flat here in London, though I am sure, as one of Harry's parents' and one of my own friends he will be a regular guest in our home." He said unsurely.
"Will this include days immediately following or before the full moon?"
Remus understood before Sirius and spoke up.
"I have already decided and agreed that I will not visit within the four days prior to or after any full moon. We would never subject Harry to that."
Both the older woman and the Ravenclaw nodded.
"Albus Dumbledore, you have placed your own charms on this dwelling, am I to understand you now agree with the placement of Harry James Potter with Sirius Black?"
"I still believe that he is physically safest with his blood relatives, simply because of the nature of the situation, but you would be hard pressed to find any safer place for him than Sirius' home in Chateauroux. It has been made safer than even Hogwarts for the boy. I do believe that Sirius will provide a more emotionally nurturing and enriching life for Harry than his muggle relations would, however. I have to agree with that. Not to mention that I know for a certain fact that James and Lily had always intended Harry to be raised by Sirius, should anything of ill will have happened to them. I will consent to the placement." Dumbledore said with a slight nod in Sirius' direction.
The woman nodded in reply before making brief eye contact with both Fudge and Crouch. After a moment of checking the forms in front of her she looked to Sirius.
"I am happy to hereby grant you full custodial physical guardianship of Harry James Potter."
Remus nearly had to hold Sirius in his chair.
"When can I have him? Is he here?" he asked, looking around wildly as if Harry had been in the room the whole time and he merely overlooked him.
"His relatives must be notified and given appropriate time to gather his belongings. You will be escorted by Miss. Abbott to Privet Drive precisely one week from today at noon to take the child into your custody. As accepted by this hearing Albus Dumbledore shall also accompany you both to Privet Drive and back to your home in France. Five aurors will also be undercover and will stand guard until you apparate with the child to your home."
"A week?" Sirius said, sounding defeated.
"One week from today."
He knew better than to argue, but a week sounded so far away, and everything was already there and ready at the house.
"A week is perfect, we still have things to get for him after all." Remus said with a nod.
"There is more to buy!" Sirius said, stunned.
"You didn't get nappies yet, or food in the kitchen, we have eaten out all week." Remus chuckled. "And we need to go to Godric's Hollow before he gets here." He said more seriously.
The surprised, frantic gleam in Sirius' eye faded away. "Right, Godric's Hollow." He said tonelessly. They had agreed that they should go and see if they could salvage anything at all, pictures, blankets, anything, even if they would just put it up in the attic for Harry when he was older.
"Well then, I think we are agreed, Mr. Black, we will see you in one week."