Disclaimer: We all know how these work, I acknowledge that J.k. Rowlings, Warner Bros. and Scholastic own Harry Potter and all other characters and settings from cannon, and I get to write whatever I please and even add in characters of my own as long as I don't get any money. The no money sucks but there you go, at least I don't get lawyers knocking on my door.
A/N: I wasn't going to post this today but I decided to reward my readers who gave me so many reviews.:)
Sirius' Savior
Chapter 13 On vacation part 1
Sirius had to admit Harry had good taste in vacation locations. The Palau Pacific Resort was just what he needed to recover. In the mornings before breakfast, they would get up and go through their judo, silat and eskrima practices on the beach. Harry helping him with figuring out how to make up for his much reduced mobility and come up with alternative moves and stances. His healers had told him he'd never be as agile and strong as he was before but that didn't mean he couldn't try. The resorts fitness room helped with that. While he worked out with weights, Harry would work on on of his non-school prepare for life lessons. Then they would have lunch and a brief nap then they would explore the activities the islands had to offer either diving, hiking, kayaking or snorkeling for an hour or three then Harry would take to surfing or playing on the beach while Sirius either rested on the beach or got a massage.
Sirius had discovered the note from Amelia Bones giving her and Susan's address in London in his luggage from the ICW conference, as he was unpacking so he could repack for the vacation. He gave it to Harry, "Apparently I wasn't quite the slouch you thought, at the conference. Here's your pen pal kiddo." Sirius half remembered the dinner with Amelia, but he had lost a lot of the last 24 hours before the attack due to his extensive injuries. He supposed he'd need to write a note to Amelia to get a full account of what they had covered at that dinner.
On the start of their second week, Sirius decided it was time for a discussion he'd been dreading.
"Harry I want to eat in our room tonight and have a discussion."
"Please Sirius I'm to young for the birds and the bees talk, not that I didn't already overhear it in way too much detail when Hadi's dad gave it to Irwan."
Fighting back a chuckle Sirius said, "What?"
Harry wanting to avoid hearing a repeat discussion of the birds and the bees quickly explained. "Hadi and I went into Irwan's room because he wanted something, I don't remember what. But we weren't supposed to be in there so when we heard them coming we hid under Irwan's bed. They sat down on the bed and so we heard how when a man feels that way his penis gets stiff and with stimulation he ejaculates and what comes out is what when mixed with a girls makes a baby. Ridwan said that as a man it is our job to be responsible and not make a baby unless that's what the girl wants and how when we're doing that we need to be sure and make sure she enjoys it as much as we do. If we make a baby we need to provide for it food, clothing, shelter, medical care, education and love. If we're not absolutely positive we can do those things we should probably keep it in our pants and if we can't we should at the very least use a condom. And that it's okay to get excited that way and to make yourself feel good and ...It's too gross."
Sirius was hopelessly amused. Harry was wearing a totally disgusted expression, but it was obvious he had indeed received the "talk" and understood it. He'd have to thank Ridwan for sparing him that embarrassment. "That wasn't what I wanted to talk about." He watched as Harry went from a bright pink to a beet red. "No kiddo, I wanted to talk to you about the night your parents died, the person who killed them, your scar and why we live as muggles despite being wizards." Over the next four hours he explained James and Lily's choices of careers. Their choice to fight Moldyshorts. What Lily had done that night to protect Harry. What Sri and he believed Moldy had done and the effects of those things on Harry.
Harry at this point interrupted, "That's why I got sick while you were in the hospital. I'm never going to be able to live as a wizard am I?"
"Kiddo listen to me. What he did to you was terrible taking your parents from you, but there's more to that last spell than preventing you from living as a wizard it has another aspect to it, it anchors him to the living plane as long as it exists he doesn't die." Sirius took a deep breath and blinked back his tears.
"Get rid of it." Harry's voice rang with implacable determination.
"To get rid of it, you have to die Harry."
"What!?!"
"Sri and I have spent years researching trying to find another way. But to destroy a horcrux and that's what your scar is Harry; to destroy a horcrux in a nonliving thing you have to use an extremely destructive spell called fiendfyre or one of the most corrosive substances ever found Basilisk venom. Since you are a living horcrux, the process and keep in mind this is theory not confirmed facts we're working from ," Sirius choked at this point. "you have to die so the tie breaks. Then the soul fragment must be destroyed and then we hope to revive you."
Harry bolted from the suite at top speed. Sirius knew he would never catch him he only hoped that Harry would return when he was calm.
Harry arrived at the beach at top speed and didn't slow down until he reached the end, where he slumped to the sand and cried and cried. When he stopped he just sat and watched the waves and thought about everything Sirius had told him for hours. He knew if he vetoed the plan Sirius and Sri had come up with, Sirius would let him. Sirius would let him live out his life as a muggle. But what would that mean? That meant that the asshole that had killed his family and a lot of other people besides would continue to live. Could he live knowing that he could have done something and didn't? Besides Sirius had said they would try to revive him after destroying the soul fragment of the horcrux. Wasn't living life as a muggle like denying his heritage, denying what deep down in his core he was? That would be cowardly and he wasn't a coward. Dawn was just a hint on the horizon when Harry rose to his feet to begin the trek back to the hotel.
Harry walked slowly trying to put his thought and feelings in order. He walked were the waves hit the sand because it was easier. As he walked he spotted shells that had been washed ashore, he picked them up after he had collected about twenty he stopped. A short time later a woman approached him from the other direction.
"I see I have competition for collecting shells this morning. Aren't you a little young to be out here by yourself?"
"I'm eight," he said indignantly. "I can defend myself."
"I'm sure you can." the woman fought back a smile. "My name's Beth I'll show you what I've collected if you show what you've found."
Harry sat down out of the reach of the waves and showed her the shells; he knew nothing about them and if she collected them perhaps she could tell him what he had. "Do you know seashells then?"
"Some I can tell families, like this one is a cowrie and an exceptional specimen. These two are both bivalves scalops, and this one is also a bivalve a clam of some kind. I've got some like those in my bucket. Oh my aren't you the lucky one that one is a cone. This one is a Murex but not in the best condition a lot of the points are broken. A volute, a couple strombs. two nice mitres and..."
"Cowries right?"
"Very good you learn quickly..." she paused as if asking for his name.
"Harry."
"It's nice to meet you Harry. Where are you staying?"
"Palau Pacific Resort."
"Me too. Shall we head back?"
"Okay."
"Why were you out so early?"
"So late. My godfather's probably pulling out his hair by now. If he hasn't already called the local police. "
"Why would you worry him like that?"
"I was upset when I left last night, he told me something important that affects me and I got very upset. Running the beach then watching the waves calmed me down. I was walking back when we met."
"The beach calms me when I'm upset too that's the reason I chose to come here for vacation."
"How long are you going to be here?"
"I'm here for a month. What about you?"
"We're here for five more weeks."
"What about school?"
"My godfather got hurt on his job. While he was in the hospital there wasn't much to do so I studied ahead, I don't have to go back until January. Where are you from?"
"The United States."
"That's cool. We're from the United Kingdom originally but we live in Indonesia." They had finally got to where they could see the resort. "Maybe you could have breakfast with us."
"Maybe, we'll see if your godfather lets you after you scaring him like this. Is that him?" she pointed to a dark haired man that sat on a chaise by the pool in a very dejected pose.
Harry looked up at her, "Hold these please," handing her the shells. He ran to Sirius and hugged him.
"Harry! I've been so worried." Sirius clutched Harry to him.
"I know I'm sorry it was just to much. I ran, then I cried, then I just sat and watched the waves and thought. I didn't mean to scare you."
" I know. I still have trouble with it and I'm a grown up. I didn't think enough about how you would take it. I wanted to come after you but I'm such a gimp and I didn't know where you went. So I just stayed here and prayed."
"I'm sorry. Sirius I love you but after hearing that I needed space."
"Better now?"
"Yeah. I made a new friend."
"You did?" Sirius suddenly noticed the woman standing a short distance away.
"Sirius Black This is Beth, she taught me about shells, and walked me back."
"Thanks for walking him back, Beth?.."
"O'Neill. It's my pleasure." Beth reached out to shake the attractive man's hand, he was slightly younger than her if she was any judge. When their hands touched a warm feeling swept over her.
Sirius suddenly understood what James had talked about when they were boys. When James talked about Lily, he'd said he felt as if his magic grabbed him by heart and said this is the one. Sirius grinned his mother must be rolling in her grave, after all the purebloods she had pushed at him, and his magic liked a muggle. She had curly strawberry blond hair, blue eyes the same shade as the crystal blue waters surrounding the island, and the fair complexion that came with her obviously Irish heritage.
Harry noticed the two adults seemed to be transfixed while shaking hands. He looked at one then the other and felt an absolutely maniacal grin cross his face. He wanted to yell, Yes I'll finally have a new mom!