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: This is a response to Jadeolivia as to her question as to why Sirius is a fugitive. Sirius has been judged guilty of accessory to murder (telling Voldemort the Potters location resulted in their death) and kidnapping(James and Lily's wills not having been opened and Albus claiming Guardianship) in the U.K. He was tried by the British magical court without being present. Why? Money power influence. Dumbledore wants to be able to control Harry. Lucius wants the power the Black family has which he could claim via Draco, and the Ministry because it wants the money. Sirius fled that night because James had told him if something happens to me ad Lily get away from Albus. He knew that the average wizard would hear his last name and associate it with mean evil people, therefore he wasn't willing to gamble his and Harry's well being. So yeah Sirius is innocent, but he's a fugitive anyway because he doesn't trust the British Wizards to be fair and honest. Given what cannon says about the British Ministry can you blame him? I hope that clears up any confusion.
Sirius' Savior
Chapter 14 On vacation part 2
A week and a half later Beth sat sipping coffee and reflecting on how her vacation was turning out so different than she expected. Breakfast had become a bit of a ritual. She would come back from a morning walk on the beach and she, Harry, and Sirius would breakfast together on the terrace. Harry amused her the most. He and Sirius would pour over the financial pages of the newspaper and discuss the ramifications of this merger or that contract. What astounded her was that the eight year old seemed to genuinely understand everything he read and could discuss it intelligently.
She laughed out loud when she learned that until the end of July Sirius had been doing security work. Here she was having deliberately ditched her security guards and the itinerary that ruled her life at home to come half the world away, and what kind of man was she attracted to, a person who worked security or at least used to. But Sirius was a lot more than a security guard. He obviously understood the financial world and had managed to teach it to an eight year old. She had no doubts he had taught Harry, not someone else.
Back on that first day after breakfast the two had gone to their suite to sleep but had insisted she join them for a hike to see a waterfall that afternoon. After the hike Harry had tried to invite her for a trip to the beach and dinner but Sirius had stopped him saying she probably had plans of her own. Instead she had felt lonely as she had dinner that night and went back to her solitary room. So the next morning when she returned from her beach walk and saw the two of them sparing on the beach she made a point to greet them, Harry again asked her to join in their post lunch plans of a kayaking trip. She agreed. When they got the kayaks Harry declared she should share a kayak with Sirius so she could help him. Sirius looked fit to be tied. Once they were on the water she was surprised to see Harry was quite comfortable maneuvering his small kayak alone. He literally was paddling circles around them. She asked Sirius "Is he always this energetic?"
"Usually."
"He told me you're his godfather, what happened to his parents?"
"They were murdered when he was fifteen months old. I've cared for him since then."
"Harsh. Still he's lucky you were willing to take over you're like what twenty six?"
"Twenty-eight and he's my family. I'm the lucky one, he's what kept me from losing my mind that night. I don't know what I'll do if..."
In that moment Beth's gift of empathy made her aware of a combination of deeply felt fear and grief. She looked to make sure Harry wasn't close. "What did you tell him that upset him?"
Sirius was quiet for a moment as if considering before speaking "Harry has a condition that has lifelong consequences, and there's a treatment for it but it involves stopping his heart."
"Oh my god he seems so healthy, should he.."
"He's fine he's had the condition for a long time, and honestly the exercise is good for him mentally and physically."
"When?"
"Not sure, not before his next birthday. Beth, I appreciate you being willing to change your plans and come with us, but please don't feel obligated just because Harry asks."
"Do you want me to tell him no?"
"I want you to tell him whatever you want to tell him, If that's yes, great; if that's no, that's okay too."
"Sirius, I have a high stress job with the US State Department. I've worked there since I graduated college with my master's at twenty two. I've had the occasional break but no true vacations in the last ten... no sixteen years. I was ordered to take a vacation; they even went so far as to give me an itinerary. I decided if I was going to go on vacation; I was really going on vacation. I ditched my security detail, I ditched their itinerary. I bought a plane ticket to Palau and climbed on a plane when I got here I called around to find a place to stay and I bought myself a pilots case and all the clothes I'm going to have until I go home. I'm probably blowing half my savings on this vacation, but I'm okay with that. All that said, as I sat at dinner last night I realized something I don't really like being alone. I'm here for a month by myself. If you and Harry want me, I will be overjoyed to spend my time with you and if I need alone time I'll politely tell you."
"I...I just didn't want you to feel like you have to spend time with us because of Harry. He will shamelessly plot to have you with us most of the time. He likes you, probably because you treat him like a person not a kid."
"Well I like him too. He's not your typical eight year old."
Sirius smiled at Beth across the breakfast table. "You're laughing. Why?"
"You did security work?'
"I used to work as a police and security forces liaison officer in Indonesia. I also trained personnel, and once in a while I pulled a protective duty assignment. Back at the end of July while on a protection detail, my assignment got attacked. It was fairly large scale, we lost two people. I wound up in the hospital for five weeks, three and a half of which I was in a coma. The only good that came out of it was my co-workers managed to get the core group and the ringleaders behind the attack and several other attacks and my assignment survived the attack with minor injuries."
"What Sirius is leaving out is he has some permanent issues on his mobility because of it. But I'm not complaining, they told me at the hospital for the first three days they thought he would die in the next few hours which was a hell of a birthday present. I told them he was to stubborn and mule headed to die on their say so. Besides he isn't done teaching me everything he knows yet."
"But you spar, you swim, you.."
"I'm working on recovering. The sparing I do, is half having Harry help me work out how to compensate for what I've lost. I don't use this cane for show, as much as I wish I did."
"So what will you do?"
"I'm interested in technology, maybe I'll go back to school and do something with engineering. It's not like money is a huge concern."
"Yeah I kinda got that impression." Beth gestured at their surroundings. "You definitely know how to pick where to do your rehab."
Sirius grinned in response.
"Well I'm deserting you gents for the day."
"What are you doing?" Harry quickly inquired.
"I'm spending the day being pampered at the spa. I might join you for the beach late this afternoon though."
"We look forward to it." Sirius said.
Beth sauntered out to the nearly deserted beach about an hour until sunset. Sirius sat looking out at the water. When she sat down he asked, "How was the massage?"
"Massages..Wonderful I feel almost boneless."
"You do look relaxed. So, while you're relaxed can I be hopelessly nosy?"
"Maybe, but where's Harry?"
"He's out riding the waves, they're really good today. I'm rather going to miss surfing."
Beth smiled. "Okay what's your question?"
"Back that second day when we went kayaking you mentioned ditching your itinerary and ditching your security detail. Why do you have security Beth?"
"You would remember that. I usually have a security detail because of who my family is, or to be more specific who my stepfather is. Having one isn't that out of the norm in my job as a negotiator, I just get tired of having every move I make planned and scrutinized; the complete and utter lack of privacy."
"Do you have any self-defense training?"
"No." She snorted. "Why would I?"
"The reason my assignment survived was because I had insisted he get at least some self defense training. I had had to argue until I was almost blue in the face to get him to receive that training. But because I did, he was able to defend himself for the two minutes it took a backup squad to arrive. Maybe if you got proactive about your own defense you would have the means to persuade your stepfather to let up on your detail's intrusiveness in your life."
They sat quietly for several minutes. Beth finally spoke,"Is that why you and Harry practice martial arts every morning?"
"Part of it. The person who killed Lily and James, Harry's parents, he isn't dead. Harry was one of his targets that night. Harry survived against all odds and mostly due to his mother sacrificing herself. Harry is the last surviving member of a very wealthy and influential family, one day he will wield an influence that can change the lives of thousands of people. So yes he is a target and yes that is why I teach him all that I do. I promised James to teach him everything I know and to find the best teachers in the world to teach him everything they know, so that when he's grown he'll be his own master rather than someone else's pawn."
Sirius who had been watching Harry out on his surfboard suddenly stood up. "Oh Merlin is that a shark?"
Beth quickly stood up and looked out to sea as well. Just as her eyes registered that there was indeed a shark fin cutting through the water dangerously near Harry's surfboard the was a loud distinctive crack followed a second later by another equally loud crack next to them on the beach.
Sirius moved quickly and Beth registered that Harry was now safely on the beach next to them.
"Harry, are you okay?"Sirius was looking Harry over from head to toe.
"Sirius there was a shark and he was opening his mouth to attack and I...how did I get to the beach?"
"Congratulations kiddo you just did your first apparition and you didn't splinch yourself!"
"Oh my god."
Both wizards turned suddenly realizing the presence of Beth.
"Are you telling me," her voice rose as if crescendoing, before suddenly she reduced her volume to that barely above a whisper, "that you guys are wizards?"