As usual, big thanks to all of my regular reviewers. I love to hear the feedback from you guys! It makes me want to update that much sooner. :p
For clarification, sprog is affectionate British slang for child. I just thought it sounded cute as there is no canon nickname for Harry.
A couple of people have mentioned that I make Harry refer to Sirius as 'sir'. Yes, this is going to continue for a few reasons. (a) At this point in the time line, they have only known each other for a few months so it is not unusual to think that there might still be some lingering formality, (b) Harry in book and movie canon is very polite and regularly addresses the male authority figures in his life as sir, so I don't think he would do any less for Sirius and mostly (c) Harry, like many of the well brought up Brit boys I know, will always use this title of respect towards his godfather/father in my story. Even here in the US a lot of the guys I grew up with called their fathers sir on occasion (especially when getting a telling off, lol). It's not meant to be demeaning for him. It's just polite and I have him use it only as a respectful response to serious discussions.
Also, I am aware that my characters are slightly OOC. Since this is a fanfic and Sirius is now caring for Harry at age 13, all canon bets are off. I started writing this because I thought that Harry, once he had a parent to love and answer to, might become more of a kid and less like a short adult, lol. He is also in the early moody puberty stage so his moods are going to go back and forth. That's how I'm writing him. He may act like a four year old one day and a thirty year old the next, but he is still going to be the strong leader that he became in canon. I'm not going to change him too much or have him lose any of his bravery. As for Sirius being OOC, we never saw him free in canon, nor got to see how his reckless marauder behavior might have been tempered after 12 years in Azkaban, let alone having real full responsibility for raising an emotionally scarred boy. I think it would have calmed him down quite a bit. Anyway, I'm off my soapbox now! :)
Enjoy!
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"Accio quaffle!"
"Accio quaffle!"
"ACCIO QUAFFLE!"
"Bugger!" Harry threw his wand down in disgust. That stupid ball was just not going to move, was it? Dropping down onto the grass between the pitch and the grove, he dragged his fingers through his hair and silently swore for a few more seconds. He was just going to have to tell Sirius. That's all there was to it. Sure, he might be mad because Harry should have told him right away, but he had not actually done anything wrong. He was just trying to keep Ron out of the grove. That's what Sirius wanted, right?
Harry had been so excited by the plans for his birthday party that he had not given any thought to the missing ball until Sirius told him about arranging for the rental of a dozen brooms for his guests. With so many people coming, his godfather had thought it would be a splendid idea to get a real match going on at the pitch. Horrified, Harry had belatedly remembered that the main ball was still hiding somewhere in the grove after being used as an attention grabber for his ginger haired mate.
He had been quite pleased with himself to think of using his recently learned summoning spell. It would be the perfect means of retrieving the missing item. Unfortunately, after several dozen attempts, it stubbornly refused to leave its prohibited surroundings. Harry just didn't understand. He had the summoning spell down flawlessly and had summoned much larger things from much greater distances than the forty some odd feet that stood between him and the grove entrance. Defeated, he lay back on the grass with his hands curled into angry fists drumming them repeatedly into the manicured lawn.
In the distance, the chimneys sparked blue and called him inside for lunch. Pushing himself up off the ground, he brushed away dirt from the back of his jeans and straddled his Firebolt, slowly gliding his way to the back entrance. As the enchanted guards opened the doors for him, he saw his godfather's smiling face as he made his way towards the dining room. Stashing his broom in the stair cupboard, he went into the washroom next to the kitchen and cleaned up before joining Sirius at the dining room table. There was just nothing for it. He would have to come clean.
He sat down as Dobby and Bicky brought out plates of curry and set them before the two wizards. He smirked to himself at the offered fare. Sirius had recently developed a taste for spicy foods and meals lately had been...well... interesting. Harry averted his gaze as his godfather reached over and poured a glass of pumpkin juice for him. As usual, he seemed to be in a jolly mood and Harry hated to ruin it. He hoped that Sirius would be understanding.
"So, are you enjoying your first lesson free morning in a week?" his godfather asked, his gray eyes twinkling.
"Oh, yeah. Sure, " Harry replied, trying to give him a small smile. It could have been nice, if he had not spent the entire morning frustrated.
"What's the matter, kiddo?" he asked suddenly. Harry jerked his head up. Was he that easy to read? "Come on now. I know that face. You look like you just lost your best friend. It can't be all that bad. Just tell me."
At his godfather's unexpected prompting, Harry wrinkled his nose a bit and took a deep uneasy breath. "You're going to be mad."
Sirius' eyes darkened a little, but he kept his face calm and gave the boy a reassuring nod to continue. "Why don't you try me before getting yourself worked up?"
Okay, here it goes.
"Iaccidentallythrewmyquaffleintothegrove." Harry spit the words out quickly and then studied his godfather's face for his reaction. To his surprise, he didn't see anger, just a bit of confusion. Sirius blinked a bit and took a second to compose his reply.
"Okaaay...how did you do that?" he asked, genuinely confused but a little set on edge. Harry had been so good about staying away from the grove that any sudden interest in it disquieted him.
"I threw it at Ron." Harry just shrugged. There was really no other answer other than the one that he was sure would only lead to more questions. He wasn't wrong.
"Why?" Sirius was trying very hard to understand what was going on. It could very well have been an innocent matter of the two boys just fooling around, but the way Harry was looking so guilty and miserable, he doubted it so he was determined to get the full truth.
Harry took another deep breath. He was just going to tell him the whole story, consequences be damned.
"He was flying too close to it. When I saw where he was, I chucked it at him to get his attention. He wasn't responding to my voice. It was almost like he was in a trance or something," he finished weakly. Harry was still confused by his mate's behavior. Not that Ron couldn't get distracted easily, but that incident had been really disconcerting.
Sirius was looking thoughtful, as if thinking of something disturbing. "Yes, I can imagine." He reached over put his hand on Harry's wrist and looked him directly in the eyes.
"Harry, you have to understand something. The grove wants you to go in there. It tries to lure you in. That's why I told you to stay so far away from it. The blooms are hypnotic. They will try to trick you. Do you understand?"
Harry nodded. He felt bad now seeing as he had been so angry with his best friend. He owed Ron an apology. Not entirely, mind you, because Ron did get too close after Harry warned him not to, but Harry had been very hard on him and he probably should not have been.
"Are you mad at me?" he asked hesitantly. Sirius didn't seem angry but he did look upset.
"No, I'm not mad. You obeyed me by staying out of it and you prevented Ron from going any further. I'm proud of you. Why didn't you tell me this last week? Were you afraid?" Sirius was concerned. He wanted Harry to feel that he could always come to him no matter what had happened.
Harry thought about it. Was he afraid? No, he hadn't really been. He was getting a much better idea about what to expect from Sirius. Sure, he had been a bit worried that Sirius might get upset and scold him, but he wouldn't classify what he was feeling as fear.
"No. I wasn't afraid," he answered honestly. "Actually, I was more upset at Ron. It happened just before he left on Sunday. After that, I was really thinking about the lessons starting the next day. I didn't think about it again until you talked about having Quidditch for my birthday and then I remembered that I didn't have the quaffle anymore." He took a deep breath and looked to see if there was any change in his godfather's face. There wasn't. Sirius was looking at him calmly with an air of concerned interest.
"Then today I thought about trying to use the summoning spell," he continued, his eyebrows knitted in frustration. "But it wouldn't work. I don't know why. I've been using it all week and this is the first time I couldn't get it to work for me."
Sirius frowned for a moment. "No, it wouldn't have worked for you." He paused for a moment, in deep thought, before he spoke again. "The grove has powerful magic of its own. It's not easy to overcome. You should know that I plan to have an additional word or two with Mr. Weasley when he arrives for your birthday." Sirius held a stern demeanor for a moment until Harry nodded in quiet acknowledgement. It was only fair, he reasoned. He trusted Sirius to be nice to Ron about it, even as he was being firm.
He watched as Sirius' face held a countenance of nostalgic melancholy for a bit. Harry was becoming a bit concerned but, before he could say anything, Sirius broke out into a large smile. "No matter. I can easily get you another before your guests arrive. Don't worry about it." He reached over and tousled Harry's hair affectionately and the two went back to eating their meal.
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After Harry went back outside to walk the trails through the woods behind the house, Sirius went into his study and poured himself a brandy. He took a small sip, cupping the bottom of the glass in his hand to warm the dark amber liquid. Swirling it around in the crystal snifter, he drew in a deep breath of its heady scent and sipped again. He was concentrating very hard on inhaling and exhaling. He moved in long graceful strides over to his favorite chair and slowly lowered himself into the soft velvet cushions. With the snifter in one hand, he very softly but intensely ran his other hand back and forth across the slightly faded armrest before sighing very deeply.
"Accio Reg's photo!" he summoned, his eyes intently fixed on the lowest drawer of the desk. He heard the irritated banging in the drawer before it was forced open and a small silver framed photo shot across the room and into his waiting hand.
"Ah, Reg," he sighed bitterly. Did you ever forgive me?
In the photo, a small boy of eight or nine years old, looking very similar to the man holding the photo, stood waving his hand as he stuck out his tongue. A split second later, he burst into a fit of giggles so complete that he lost his balance and fell back onto the ground before standing back up and repeating the motions.
A blinding pain shot through Sirius' head. Gripping the snifter tightly, he almost shattered the delicate glass. Instead, he placed it onto the small table next to his chair and banished the photo back into the desk.
He needed to get a grip. The last thing he wanted his godson to see was him crumbling emotionally over a photograph. He needed to be strong for Harry. A stable influence, not the manic mess with the low self esteem that he became after his years in hell.
He raked his long fingers through his hair before shaking them irritably, scratching his scalp fiercely and letting out an exasperated huff. Stop this!
"Accio Sprog map!" he summoned, a bit desperately.
The square fold of parchment wrestled itself from between two books on the shelf behind the desk and flew into his lap. He drew his wand and tapped it three times.
"I solemnly swear that I am an overprotective git."
The parchment unfolded and spread out as he grasped it with both hands. Shifting through the different layers, he finally located a small pair of footprints with a scroll reading "Sprog". The were standing still at the edge of the small goldfish pond at the center of the apple orchard. Sirius smiled to himself. He knew what was there. A small inviting bench curved around the top of the pond. He remembered Harry saying something about wanting to feed the fish and Dobby giving him a sack of bread crusts.
His heartbeat slowed with the mental image of his godson casually tossing crusts into the brownish water as the fish gently breached the surface to feast on the offerings. Just another boy on a pleasant Saturday afternoon, lazing away the day. He smiled serenely. In their household, you cherished simple moments like this. You never knew when they would come around again.
Feeling significantly more jolly, he banished the map and proceeded to briskly make his way down to the pond. When he arrived, his godson turned around and gave him the largest smile. It warmed him completely, the sheer simple happiness of it. He strode over to the bench and sat down next to the messy haired boy who shifted over slightly to press closer against him as he offered the bag of crusts. He took some into his hand, giving Harry a bright smile.
Side by side, the two wizards passed the rest of the afternoon in almost complete silence as they took turns throwing bread into the pond, just enjoying the nearness of each other.
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Panting heavily, Sirius desperately tried to see through the spinning colors. From a far distance, he heard his own voice calling "Reg! Reg! Where are you?" The voice sounded as if it were muffled, but Sirius couldn't feel anything on his face to soften the sound. The only proof he had that it was his own was the raging burn in his throat as he shouted himself hoarse.
More desperately, he pushed his way forward, not really seeing where he was going. He had to get to Reg. He was here somewhere. Sirius had to find him, he was the big brother. Reg was just a little boy and he was scared. "REGULUS! You answer me now! Where are you?" He was getting more frightened. It would all be his fault!
Jagged breathing, pain in his temple, swirling colors and then...
He saw the dark haired boy writhing on the ground in front of him. But when the boy turned his head in his thrashing movements, it wasn't Reg, it was Harry. And he was in pain.
"HARRY!!" he cried out and shot up his bed, dripping with sweat.
Sirius' head was throbbing as he tried to focus his eyes in the darkness of his bedroom. Gasping for air, he slowly started to calm himself as he acclimated himself to his surroundings. It took a few seconds until he realized where he was and then the calming came faster.
The dream.
It was a recent progression from one that he had endured endlessly during his imprisonment. Taking custody of Harry had changed it slightly and then bringing him home to Celestial Court had stepped up its occurrence. He once again pondered Remus' suggestion of a dreamless sleep potion and then just as quickly discarded it. He couldn't be drugged with Harry in his care. He would just have to suffer the nightmares.
Rising quickly from his bed, he padded softly into his bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. Quickly then he strode out of his room and down the hall to Harry's bedroom. He always had the need to see his godson safely for himself before he could get back to sleep. Opening the door soundlessly, he crept inside and tiptoed over to where the boy was slumbering deeply.
Grinning to himself, he could see that, once again, Harry had thrown off his blankets in his sleep. He was such a restless sleeper. Harry was curled up on one side, his free arm thrown over his face, his legs akimbo with the pajama pants riding up almost to his knees. Gently, Sirius tugged the pant hems back down to his ankles and lowered his arm so that his face was not smothered by it. Very slowly, he pulled the blankets back up to the middle of the evenly breathing chest, tucking them in slightly before he leaned over and gave the flushed forehead a soft kiss. Harry stirred slightly, snuggling further into his pillows as his recently moved hand gripped the restored covers and pulled them closer to his chin. He slumbered on unawares of his godfather's presence.
Nightmare receding in his mind, Harry's safety and well being confirmed, Sirius noiselessly left the boy's room and returned to his own. Sleep would come again now. He prayed it was peaceful.
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The next week of lessons passed much more easily than the first week had. Harry's temper was a bit more in check now that he realized that the world was not coming to an end by having to study a little during the day. He was really enjoying the one on one attention he was getting from Sirius and Remus. While Harry had always enjoyed going to school, he was finding that he would get a lot more out of his lessons without other distractions around. The two tutors were proud of him. At the rate he was going, he would go back to Hogwarts in the fall well prepared.
Sirius was debating about when to tell Harry about his plans for the extra tutelage to continue once the school year started. He was surprised when Harry brought it up himself. Harry had just accepted it as the natural progression of things. He had been a little concerned about DADA and Potions. While he liked Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall enough, the DADA position was always up for a refill and he wasn't sure if he could take two extra lessons with Snape. Sirius had assured him that they would work something out.
After spending his DADA lesson time with both Sirius and Remus coaching him on ways to block Snape during his next Occlumancy lesson, even Friday morning didn't upset him so badly. Fresh on the heels of two successful potion attempts the day before, his confidence was inspired even further, and he did so well that Snape, while not complimenting him, did not insult him either. Both godfather and godson were gobsmacked by the lack of ill treatment by the snide potions master.
Harry had never been so excited to see the end of a week. Saturday morning, Ron and Hermione were arriving and he was eagerly looking forward to spending some quality time with his two best friends before the large group of guests arrived for the festivities on Sunday for his first birthday party ever.
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On Saturday morning, Harry was once again waiting anxiously in the left side parlor of Celestial Court. At any minute, Ron would come barrelling out of fireplace and Remus would be arriving with Hermione via the special portkey from her family's rented villa in France. Sirius had gone to a lot of trouble to arrange transportation for all of the guests and everything he did just made Harry appreciate him more and more. His godfather was working overtime to make his birthday weekend something really special.
He really missed his friends. Even though he loved living with Sirius, he knew that his heart didn't really come alive until he met Ron and Hermione that first day on the train to Hogwarts. The were more than his friends. He didn't think he could be any closer to them if they were his real brother and sister. Fondly, he recalled all of their adventures together. In the three years that he had known them, they had never let him down. He hoped he would always be able to say the same about himself for them.
As he sat on the curved plushy sofa, he was listening to the soft ticking of the clock in the hall when, with a loud pop!, Remus and Hermione appeared in front of him clutching desperately to a small painted oriental fan. As soon as the pretty bushy haired brunette recovered from her sudden travel, she squealed and threw her arms around Harry with great enthusiasm.
"Happy Birthday, Harry!" she gushed as she tightened her grip around his waist.
"Not until midnight, Hermione. Ow, not so hard, if you don't mind." Harry grimaced at the pressure from her embrace.
"Sorry," she apologized sheepishly. "I'm just so happy to see you."
"I'm happy to see you too," Harry responded sincerely. His green eyes were shining with warmth and he had a large goofy grin on his face.
"You look great, Harry!" Hermione was appraising him critically, really seeing the marked improvement in his complexion and slightly sturdier build. "Sirius must be taking really good care of you," she deduced, ever observant.
Harry flushed a little, embarrased. It was true though. He looked over to where Remus was smirking at him and flushed a little more.
"Yeah, he's brilliant Hermione. I love being here with him."
Just then, the fire next to them roared green and spit out the gangly red head they were both so fond of. Ron slid feet first out of the floo and onto the paisley carpet, scattering parcels left and right as he came to a stop.
"Bloody Hell!" he groaned, resting his head on the floor as he collected himself.
Still smirking, Remus bent down and reached for his arm, hoisting the boy to his feet as Harry and Hermione scurried to collect the fallen packages.
"Mum loaded me down with a ton of stuff for the party tomorrow, Harry. You should see her. She's gone positively mental!" Ron started to brush off soot from the front of his T shirt when Hermione launched herself at him and caught him up in the same crushing embrace she had given Harry.
"Ooof. Merlin's beard, Hermione! Where do you get the strength?" he teased. Although he was grumbling, the small traces of satisfied smile were playing around the corners of his mouth.
From the doorway, Sirius stood watching the arrivals fondly. Harry really had good friends, he noted with no small amount of satisfaction. He gave them a moment before clapping his hands together, his eyes twinkling madly.
"Well, now that the two of you are here, let's get on with the fun!"
