Author's note: Thanks for your lovely reviews! I really loved reading them. I'm sorry it took me a while to update, they will be much more regular now. If you like this story you may like another of mine called Are You Cross? Which is another Sirius raises Harry story but it is from when Harry is four and Remus is his other guardian or you may like Rescued By Remus which is another I have written where Remus rescues a seven year old Harry from the Dursleys. You can find them on my profile page, if you do read them please review and let me know what you think.
Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 2
Harry shivered slightly as he thought about how angry his godfather had been. Why would Emerald lie to her father just to get him into trouble, did she really hate him that much? He only wanted to be accepted, he just wanted to settle down in the house and spend time with his godfather, time which didn't include staring at a wall while his godfather seethed behind him.
If Emerald would only leave him alone he would stay right out of her way, he was trying to at the minute anyway. It was just that every time he settled down to play with one of the new toys Sirius had bought him Emerald was there and shouting that he had done this and he had done that. Why did Sirius always have to believe her? Harry felt tears build up in his eyes, he wouldn't cry. He mustn't. He didn't want to annoy his godfather any further.
Meanwhile Sirius was battling with his own conscious, two hours of time out was a very long time for a seven year old child. Why had he ever said such a stupid thing? He had lost his temper granted but there were hundreds of things he could have said, why did he have to say something quite so harsh? Harry was still settling in after all, Remus said he would test the boundaries. In Sirius' opinion he had tested the boundaries so much they were now a little pile of rubble but he was only a child. Sirius had hardly been an angel as a child himself.
He was bought out of his thoughts by a small sniffle. It took him a moment to work out what it was.
"Harry?" Sirius said in surprise. "Harry, are you okay?"
He was answered by a few choked sobs.
"Oh, Harry" Sirius said compassionately "come here"
Harry turned around and began to walk to his godfather obediently. Sirius was horrified to see that his little face was streaked with tears. The second Harry was close enough Sirius reached out and lifted his godson onto his knee.
Harry buried his head into his godfathers top and began to sob in earnest.
"Don't cry" Sirius pleaded rubbing Harry's back.
Harry used to cry when Sirius had to leave at the end of each visiting time at the orphanage and it had always broken Sirius' heart.
"I'm s-s-s-sorry" Harry sobbed.
"I know you are, shhhhh it's okay" Sirius said soothingly.
He was quite out of his depth. He had never really dealt with a crying child as Emerald had always been content. She had cried when she was younger of course but she had her mother to soothe her then…
Sirius shook his head to clear the unwelcome thoughts. If he thought about Emerald's mother too much he would be sobbing right along with Harry.
There was silence for a while as Sirius tried to calm Harry down, at last his sobs diminished and he was just left with hiccups. They vibrated Harry's little body and Sirius couldn't help finding it adorable.
"Why are you so naughty when I am not around?" Sirius asked when he was satisfied his godson had calmed down considerably.
Harry wasn't sure whether he was supposed to lie and just make up an answer or if he should just stay silent. The only thing he knew for sure was that he couldn't tell Sirius that it was Emerald making things up, in the short time he had spent with the Dursleys he had learnt that there was nothing which angered parents more than blaming things on their own children even if it actually was their child. It was better to just talk the blame and the beating that followed, though he knew it was only the Dursleys who did beatings. Sirius did boring corners instead. In the end he opted for silence.
Sirius sighed as he saw he was not going to get an answer. He decided to try a different approach.
"Do you not like Emerald?" Sirius asked gently.
Harry's eyes grew wide. He couldn't tell Sirius he didn't like his daughter even if it was true but he couldn't lie to his godfather either. Maybe he should try silence again.
"Come on, Harry. Answer me. I need to understand what's going on in that brain of yours so that I can help you settle in" Sirius said wrapping his arms around his godson protectively, hoping that it might encourage his godson to trust him. "You can tell me, Harry."
"I-I-I don't like her very much" Harry said quietly.
Sirius nodded though Harry couldn't see him. "I didn't think so, but Harry even if you don't like someone its no excuse for the way you have been behaving recently" He scolded mildly.
"Sorry" Harry said again.
"So why don't you like her?" Sirius asked.
Harry squirmed, he knew he should have kept his mouth shut. Sirius was not going to let this go now and he couldn't tell Sirius the real reason.
"Harry? Why don't you like her?" Sirius repeated.
Harry shrugged .
"I hope you don't feel threatened by her" Sirius probed. "I want you to know that I love both of you exactly the same and I think of both of you as my children."
Harry felt a slight pride at Sirius' words. He nestled deeper into his godfather's top.
"Is there anything you want to tell me, Harry?" Sirius asked suddenly.
Harry froze, this was his chance. Sirius was practically asking him to snitch on Emerald. He could tell him everything and Sirius could hold him tightly and make everything seem okay and then he would tell Emerald off and stop believing what she said and Emerald would accept him and they could live happily ever after.
"N-n-no" Harry said quickly.
There was always the chance that Sirius wouldn't believe him and Harry couldn't take that chance.
Sirius sighed. He just had a feeling that there was something that wasn't quite right about his godsons behaviour. Right now though, he just had to trust that Harry was telling him the truth.
"I expect you and Emerald will get along a lot better if you spend more time together. Especially now you are going to be a good boy."
Harry groaned inwardly. Spending more time with Emerald was absolutely the last thing he needed and somehow he thought he would only be a good boy in Sirius' eyes when Emerald decided he could be…
Sirius glanced at the clock, Harry had been in his office for a grand total of twenty minutes, over five of which had not been spent in the corner but Sirius knew full well that he would never have made Harry stay in the corner for the whole hour it took him to write his report and he had already decided long ago that he was not going to add that extra hour so…
"Why don't you go and play a game?" Sirius suggested.
"I don't have to go back to the corner?" Harry asked excitedly.
Sirius shook his head wordlessly.
Harry hugged his godfather one more time, jumped off his lap and flew out of the office before his godfather could change his mind.
--
Back in the lounge Emerald had just waved goodbye to Molly and was now lounging on the couch with Witch's Weekly. She looked up as the door opened and scowled as she saw Harry come in.
Harry instantly realised his mistake, he had been so happy after his talk with Sirius and the man informing him he loved him just as much as Emerald that he had forgotten she was in the lounge.
"Two hours is not up yet!" She snapped.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you. I will just go back upsta-" Harry said nervously.
"How did you manage to get out of your time out so early?" Emerald demanded.
Harry silently cursed himself for not just going to his room where Emerald had yet to step foot.
"I asked you a question!" Emerald said angrily throwing her magazine down and standing up.
"Erm, Sirius said I could go" Harry said softly.
"Oh that's typical that is. Wiggle your way out of the punishment I finally managed to get you."
She began to move towards him. It was only a few paces before she was standing right in front of him and it was then that she noticed something…
"Have you been crying?" She demanded.
Harry began to back away slowly. Why had he not stayed with Sirius? He could have talked to the man and had fun now that he wasn't restricted to the corner. Emerald never bothered him while he was with Sirius.
"I said, have you been crying?" She repeated threateningly.
Harry still refused to answer. He began to work out the fastest escape route.
"You have, haven't you? That's how you got out of your time out. Dad's a sucker for tears" Emerald said the last bit fondly.
Harry made a dive for the door but Emerald was faster and she grabbed him and kicked him, hard.
"Don't you dare!" She hissed. "You better not have told him anything about me."
"I didn't! I swear!" Harry said desperately.
There was something in Harry's eyes which went straight to Emerald's heart and she let go off the young boy, slightly sickened in herself.
Harry rubbed his tummy where Emeralds foot had connected with him and he looked at her in surprise. Why had she let go?
"I-I-I'm not a bad person" Emerald said slowly. "I don't mean to make you miserable" Emerald looked at him, desperate for him to understand. "I just want my dad to myself. Can't you just…go away?"
Harry looked at her silently. Emerald's eyes were full of tears.
"I can't stop till you've gone, I just want you to understand that I'm not a bad person" Emerald said pleadingly.
"I-I'm-" Harry was cut off as the lounge door swung open.
"Anyone ready for tea?" Sirius asked cheerfully.
Emerald turned round to face her father and he was horrified to see tears running down her cheeks.
"Emerald? What's wrong?" Sirius asked frantically.
Emerald ran towards her father and hugged him fiercely. He immediately wrapped his arms around her and attempted to soothe her.
"What's wrong?" He asked again.
Harry stood just in front of the two and crossed his fingers behind his back, surely now Emerald would tell her father what she had been doing. She had seemed like she was genuinely repentant a few minutes ago… though she had said she wasn't stopping.
Emerald took a while replying, she tried to steady her breathing first.
"Shhh. come on Em, this isn't like you. What's up?" Sirius looked really worried.
Emerald pushed back from her father and turned to face Harry.
Do it now, go on tell him Harry pleaded silently.
"Harry k-k-kicked me" She sobbed at last, pointing at Harry who stood shock still looking absolutely horrified.
She turned back and buried her head in her father's top, shooting Harry an evil look as she did so. Sirius was still rubbing his daughters back but he was now looking straight at Harry and Harry really didn't like the look that was on his face…
He had really thought for a moment that Emerald was finally going to tell Sirius but all she had done was got him into a whole load of trouble…
