Chapter 4: Learning To Move On
"Merlin, but women are scum," Sirius muttered to Remus, resettling Harry on one hip as the two friends walked into the Leaky Cauldron one cold December afternoon, some two months later. Felicity was sitting at one table, talking animatedly to a young man in what Sirius knew was her flirtatious voice. Across the room, Sarah was doing the same with a different young man.
"I know," Remus replied darkly, eyeing Felicity with a look of great contempt while Sirius did likewise to Sarah. Each of them was equally enraged at the pain inflicted on the other. "Look at them. Chattering away as if nothing had ever gone wrong."
"I'm convinced that Lily was the exception to the species," Sirius said, brushing snow off of Harry's cloak. "All right, Harry. Let's get some dinner into you."
"Eat!" Harry laughed happily. "Eat, Sius!"
"Yeah, that's right, Harry," Remus laughed, ruffling his jet-black hair.
"Evening, Sirius, Remus!" Tom called. Sirius and Remus both internally groaned as the room went silent. Then the whispers started circulating: Harry Potter was there. The Boy-Who-Lived was actually in the Leaky Cauldron at that very moment. Perhaps his godfather would let them hold him for a moment, even just see the scar where You-Know-Who had failed to triumph once and for all…
Almost as soon as Tom had spoken, there was a gaggle of people around them, all clamoring for a look, a touch, a picture.
"No!" both Sirius and Remus exclaimed in irritation. Harry was beginning to get frightened by the crowd and the noise, clinging fearfully to Sirius as his eyes darted back and forth from the crowd to Sirius to Remus and over again.
Just as Harry had burst into tears and buried his face into Sirius' neck, Hagrid's booming voice thundered through the noise.
"Shame on yeh! Shame on all of yeh! Can' yeh see yeh've frightened the poor tyke half ter death? Off with yeh, leave him be! No decency outta any o' yeh, I swear…"
More frightened of being crushed by Hagrid than out of any sort of guilt, the crowd dispersed. Remus sent him a grateful smile as Sirius soothed Harry, who was still trembling and crying. "Thank you, Hagrid," Remus said quietly.
"Honestly, people…" Hagrid muttered, shaking his bushy head. "Anyhow, Dumbledore's bin wantin' ter talk ter yeh. He's got a private room fer yeh ter eat, if yeh want," he added blandly, though his eyes twinkled. "The door jus' on the right there."
"Thank you, Hagrid," Sirius said dryly. The two friends started to head for the door, passing a family of red-haired children whose mother was scolding the older boys for staring.
"He's just a boy, same as Ron, and I don't see you goggling at him, now…"
"But, Mum, it's…"
"I don't care if he's Merlin himself, William Arthur Weasley, you don't stare at people!"
"Dad!"
"Do as your mother says, I happen to agree with her."
***
"Sirius, Remus, it's been a while," Dumbledore greeted calmly as he looked up from his tea. "Come in, take a seat, have something to eat. Close the door, would you, Hagrid? You're welcome to join us."
"Evening, sir," Sirius said, sitting down on a chair and settling Harry on his lap.
"It's a most convenient thing, Sirius and Remus, that you have arrived here tonight," Dumbledore said, taking a treacle tart from a tray. "I arrived here intending only to have a small bite to eat before returning to Hogwarts. I usually refrain from consuming large amounts of food in the week immediately preceding the Christmas feast in order to more fully enjoy it. However, when I ordered only a single tart and a tea, Tom brought me all of this." He made a sweeping motion with his hand over the laden table. "He must have some Hogwarts house-elf in him, for they also have a most curious habit of supplying one with far more food than one is capable of consuming."
"Very curious, indeed, sir," Remus said with a slight smile as he, too, sat down. Something told him that Dumbledore had been expecting them.
"Eat!" Harry demanded again, little fist banging against Sirius' arm insistently.
"I daresay you might enjoy some roast beef, Harry?" Dumbledore said with a sparkle in his eye, handing a small plate of bite-size pieces to Sirius. "I myself don't particularly care for it, but I do recall your father inhaling rather disturbingly large amounts of it at the start of term feasts." He smiled when Harry eagerly started to eat.
"Yes, James did have an affinity for Hogwarts roast beef," Sirius said with a vague smile. "What did you want to talk to us about, sir?"
"Ah, so Hagrid told you that, did he?" Dumbledore asked, his tone turning serious. "I do have a matter to discuss with you both. And seeing as there is no better time than the present… it is on the subject of Peter."
Sirius and Remus both tensed. "Has he been caught?" Remus asked sharply.
"I would love to get my hands on him," Sirius growled.
Dumbledore sighed. "No. He hasn't been caught. He's nowhere to be found."
"What?" Sirius and Remus exclaimed in unison.
"That's it, I'm killing any rat that comes within a hundred yards of my house," Sirius said, tightening his hold on Harry protectively. "Each and every one of the filthy little vermin."
"We're keeping an eye out, Sirius, but I just thought I'd keep you two in the know for this," Dumbledore said. He paused when something scrabbled into the room underneath the door.
A thick-bodied rodent of some kind skittered across the floor and took refuge under the table. Immediately, Remus seized it and took a good look at it.
"Wrong door, Peter," he said coldly. The rat squeaked and writhed in his tight grasp.
"Kill it," Sirius said. "Kill it now."
Just then, however, one of the younger red-haired boys – about six or so, with horn-rimmed glasses – dashed into the room. "I'm sorry, sirs," he gasped out, reaching for Peter. "My rat ran away on me. Scabbers, you silly thing, come back here."
"May I ask when you got the rat?" Remus asked, not releasing the rodent.
"Only a month or so ago," the boy replied uncertainly. "I found him in the garden. Mum said I could keep him so long as he didn't chew the furniture because the furniture's chewed enough from Fred and George. I wanted a pet because Bill saved up his pocket money forever to get his owl, and I rather wanted something smaller and less expensive because I don't get pocket money yet. May I have him back, please?"
"Percy, I told you to get your rat and leave these people alone," his mother scolded as she appeared in the doorway behind him. "Oh, hello, Professor Dumbledore."
"Good evening, Molly," Dumbledore greeted, getting to his feet. "It appears that your boy may not get his rat back. You see, we have a strong suspicion that it is a Death-Eater in disguise, and before we give it back, we'd like to confirm it."
"Gracious!" Molly exclaimed, pulling the wide-eyed little boy back against her legs. "Well, do confirm it, then. If it is indeed a Death-Eater, I am certainly not letting him anywhere near my children! See, Percy, I told you no good comes from wild animals. Go back and finish your dinner now."
"But I want Scabbers back," Percy objected.
"I said go, Percy Ignatius Weasley!"
***
More excitement circulated through the pub as Peter was escorted out by no less than five Aurors, handcuffed and head low to avoid the photographers who had flocked there.
The horrified little Percy apologized over and over again to Sirius and Remus. "I honestly didn't know…"
"I know you didn't," Remus reassured him, resettling Harry's sleepy weight in his arms. "Don't dwell on it. He's been caught, that's what matters. Next time, though, I suggest you save your pocket money and buy your pets from a store." Percy nodded.
The two older boys were caught between horror and delight. "Think of how famous we're going to be after the holidays are over," the younger hissed to the older. "Everyone's going to know us. We'll be on the front page of the Prophet, we will."
"Because we were harbouring a Death-Eater, you idiot," the older said. "That's hardly a good thing to be famous for. People get thrown in Azkaban for that."
Percy let out a terrified squeak. "I'm not going to Azkaban, Dad, am I?" he asked fearfully. "I didn't know…"
"Thank you, Bill, for that brilliant statement," Arthur groaned. "No, you're not, Percy. They don't throw little boys in Azkaban for mistakes."
"Are you sure?" Percy persisted.
"Loads of Death-Eaters in Azkaban," one of the twin boys said sagely.
"Loads and loads," the other agreed.
"Percy in Azaban," the smallest boy, who looked the same age as Harry, said.
"No, for goodness' sake!" Molly exclaimed.
Dumbledore smiled softly. "Well, Percy," he said. "I think a little boy catching a Death-Eater deserves something better than Azkaban."
Percy's eyes widened. "May I have a prefect badge?" he asked eagerly, making the group burst into laughter.
"In about nine more years, Percy," Molly laughed, ruffling his hair.
"No, unfortunately, I can't give badges away," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye, "but perhaps I can wangle a children's Order of Merlin."
Percy's face lit up. "Oh, that's even better. I like that."
"I'll see what I can do. Enjoy your Christmas, everyone," Dumbledore chuckled. "I must be getting back to Hogwarts. Bill, Charlie, I'll see you after holidays."
***
Harry giggled madly as he reached for another brightly wrapped present.
"He's already spoiled senseless, you know," Remus commented. "You didn't need to get him all of those."
"Oh, most of these are just empty boxes wrapped up," Sirius said with a laugh as he watched Harry burrow into the growing pile of wrapping paper. "He likes the outside better than the inside, any way."
"Brilliant, old chap, brilliant," Remus laughed. "Hey, where'd Harry go?" he asked cheerfully, pretending not to notice the wiggling mass of paper. "I can't find him."
Giggling, Harry surfaced. He shrieked as Remus scooped him up into his arms and smothered him in kisses.
***
Yawning enormously, Harry snuggled deep into Sirius' arms, wrapped up in his favourite blanket and clinging tightly to a new teddy bear.
Smiling softly, Sirius sat back in his armchair, feet up, and watched his little godson sleep. It was the first Christmas in nearly five or six years that he hadn't had James there. And yet somehow, it felt as though he had been there, in some fashion.
Harry didn't cry for them now. Sirius knew very well that Harry wouldn't remember a single solitary thing about his parents by the time he was 4 or 5. This life, this life with Sirius and oftentimes with Remus as well, would be what Harry knew. He would grow up motherless, fatherless, but definitely never loveless. Both Sirius and Remus adored him with every fiber of their being. Sirius would sooner die than let anybody hurt Harry.
***
"So, Harry, what are you looking at?" Sirius asked, crouching down behind Harry. Harry was standing at the window, watching a young woman move in next door with great interest. "Ah. Not even two, and you're already girl-watching. Figures. She is good-looking, I'll grant you that." He eyed the slender brunette with interest as well, but quite a different sort of interest.
***
"Oh, hello!" the young woman called cheerfully as she got up from her seat on the front porch. "You live just in this house here?"
"Yeah," Sirius answered, looking up momentarily from where he was helping Harry build a little snowboy. "I take it you're the new neighbour?"
"You take it right," she said with a smile. "Jenny Prescott. Hello," she cooed when Harry managed to get through the snow to approach her. "Aren't you the handsomest little boy I've ever seen."
"That's Harry," Sirius said. "He's my godson."
"Oh," Jenny said, still talking to Harry. "So I suppose we're not going to be neighbours, then. That's a shame. You're really cute."
"He lives with me," Sirius said, only a brief waver in his voice as he said it. "His parents were killed in October."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Jenny replied. "How old is he?" She laughed when Harry tripped and landed in the snow.
"He's just under a year and a half," Sirius answered, scooping Harry out of the snow and setting him on his feet again.
"Oh, they're so sweet when they're that age," Jenny said fondly. "My nephew's just about a year and a half as well, but they live way out on the Scotland border, I don't often see them."
"Sius, pay," Harry said eagerly, scooping up a fistful of snow and depositing it in Sirius' hand. "Make a snowman fo' me."
Sirius smiled and started rolling a little snowball along the ground. "All right, then."
"He has great language skills for being so young," Jenny commented. "It takes most boys until they're 3 or 4 to develop that sort of ability with words. I'm a speech-and-language therapist, I know these things."
Sirius laughed and helped Harry make another ball. "Takes after his smarty-pants mum and dad," he said with a grin. "He was starting to say words when he was 10 months old. Lily nearly fainted with shock."
"Lily being… his mother?" Jenny asked.
"Yeah," Sirius said. "He's all James – that's his father – except for the eyes. His eyes are Lily's."
"Really?" Jenny asked with interest. "That's funny. What was her surname?"
"Maiden name was Evans, why?" Sirius asked suspiciously.
"I thought the eyes looked a little familiar," Jenny said thoughtfully. "I went to primary school with a girl named Lily Evans. She had these gorgeous red curls, and these really green eyes, my mum used to say she looked like some sort of Celtic princess."
"Well, Lily did have red hair, but that's not a really uncommon name," Sirius pointed out. "Could be coincidence."
"We were sort of school chums. Then she got accepted to some school for the exceptionally gifted or something like that the year we were due to start secondary school, and I only saw her a little on holidays after that." Jenny sighed. "Haven't seen her in years, though, apparently she graduated early and moved out. Last time I saw her… that might've been close to two years ago, when her parents died. She came with a dark-haired guy. Glasses, kind of looked a little like you, actually."
"You know, I think we're talking about the same person," Sirius commented, catching Harry before he tumbled again. "She have a sister, your Lily?"
"Yeah, horrid witch of a woman," Jenny said darkly. "Petunia. Married some bigwig driller or something."
"Definitely the same person, then," Sirius said. "Lily used to tell us all horror stories about her sister."
"Well, fancy that, it's a small world after all," Jenny laughed. "So you went to school with her?"
"Yeah," Sirius replied. "We were in the same dormitory house. Her husband was my best friend. She was prefect with my other best friend."
"Hmm," Jenny said. "I'm sorry, so what was your name?"
"Sirius," he replied.
"Sirius, like the –"
" – like the constellation, yeah," Sirius interrupted. "It's a family tradition. I had a father named Orion, an uncle named Cygnus, a cousin named Andromeda…"
"Tell you have a normal-enough surname," Jenny laughed.
"Black," Sirius admitted with a nod.
"Aymus!" Harry shrieked suddenly, wriggling out of Sirius' grasp and dashing to greet Remus, who was coming over. "Aymus, pick me up!" He reached up eagerly and was immediately accommodated.
"Oh, you're all snowy, Harry," Remus laughed. "Have you been playing all afternoon?" Harry nodded happily and wiggled down again.
"Come pay," he insisted, tugging at Remus' trouser leg. "Come pay with me."
"Yes, I'm coming," Remus said. "Hello," he added to Sirius with an inquisitive look at Jenny.
"Remus, this is my new neighbour, Jenny," Sirius said with a slight smile as Harry quickly convinced Remus – in almost complete sentences – to build a little house for Sirius' snowman. "Jenny, this is my friend Remus. He's here a lot. You'd almost think he lives here."
"I take that back," Jenny said to Sirius as she watched Harry. "He has incredible language skills."
"Don't know why, his whole vocabulary's just sort of exploded in the last few months," Remus said.
"It's not just the vocabulary," Jenny corrected. "It's sentence structure as well. He talks more like a three- or four-year-old."
"Make it bigger," Harry ordered.
"You're a show-off smarty-pants, you know that?" Remus told Harry as Jenny shook her head in sheer amazement.
***
"Remember that all women are scum, Sirius," Remus reminded him quietly as they went back inside. "No matter how pretty they are."
"Merlin, but she's gorgeous…" Sirius groaned, banging his head lightly on the wall.
"The prettier they are, the scummier they are," Remus countered.
"Right, scummy," Sirius said, distracted by watching Jenny as she greeted what looked like a friend or two outside. "All women are scum."
"You're hopeless," Remus said with a shake of his head.
"Yeah, hopeless," Sirius echoed. "Merlin, but she's gorgeous…"
"All right, Harry, hit him. Hit him hard," Remus said with a smile, and Harry happily obeyed.
***
Sirius groaned as he heard the knock on his front door once more. "Merlin, Harry, if that's Jenny again…" he said to the little boy playing on the floor. "Can you look?"
Harry got up and toddled over. "Jenny," he affirmed.
Sirius sighed and got up from his chair, stuffing the Prophet under a cushion. "Keep that frog on the ground, Harry. Don't let it jump." Opening the door, he said to the sheepish young woman, "You must have one hell of a wrecked house. What else could you possibly fix that you haven't already?"
"I'm sorry," Jenny said apologetically. "It's my car, actually, not my house this time. It's making sort of weird noises. I'll feed you dinner if you come look at it," she added hopefully.
Sirius mumbled a curse under his breath. "Women were never meant to live on their own, honestly…" He sighed again. "All right. I'll be there in a few minutes."
***
"Okay, try and describe the sound," Sirius said wearily. Merlin, Muggles were such a bother with these things. One poke with his wand and he'd have it fixed, but no, he had to do it the long way.
"It sort of makes a growly sound when I start the car," Jenny offered, carrying Harry and his teddy bear on one hip.
Sirius grumbled something indistinct even to himself and randomly yanked a wire. 'Probably not the smartest thing to do.'
"Sius fix it," Harry said confidently to Jenny.
***
"Are you a jack-of-all-trades, then?" Jenny exclaimed, a little miffed, as Sirius took over making dinner once he'd fixed the car.
"Nah, that's Remus," Sirius said with a slight grin. "I've just been living on my own since I was 17. There are certain things you pick up with time."
"17, eh?" Jenny asked, watching him from the table as she played with Harry. "That's young. Orphaned, or…"
"Nope," Sirius replied. "Took off, got kicked out, whatever you prefer. When I was 16. Not entirely sure if I left or they kicked me out, to tell the truth. Lived with Harry's dad's family for a year, and then struck it out on my own."
"Oh," Jenny said uneasily.
"Well, thanks for having us over," Sirius said as he retrieved Harry to go back home.
"Thank you," Jenny said gratefully.
Internally, Sirius groaned. Merlin, she was too gorgeous to ignore.
***
"Aw, Sirius, you didn't," Remus groaned.
"I did," Sirius replied sheepishly.
"You are hopeless!" Remus exclaimed as he laid Harry down in his crib, tucking the blanket in around his chin. Turning the light out quietly, he pushed Sirius back out into the hallway. "Didn't we both agree that all women are scum?"
"Yeah, but…"
"Merlin…" Remus muttered. "Think with your brain, not your testosterone, Sirius. How long do you figure it's going to be before you let something slip, or Harry says something or does something? You want your own Sarah?"
"Who says that's what she'd do?" Sirius mumbled.
"Sirius, I hate to break it to you," Remus sighed, "but you're from two completely separate worlds. It's not like a pureblood going out with a Muggleborn, Sirius, they've still got the magic. Wizards with Muggles are a complete disaster waiting to happen."
"Not always. Some of them work without the Muggle ever realizing," Sirius countered.
"What, like Theresa Sandwater?" Remus asked. "Didn't even tell her husband about being a witch until after the wedding? I hear he was furious she'd kept him in the dark, she's damn lucky he didn't divorce her!"
Sirius sighed. "You're right, Remus, it was a stupid thing to do."
"Just be careful, Sirius."