Disclaimer: See Chapter One…
Chapter Summary: The title of this chapter says it all...
A/N: Thank you all for your great reviews. For the few questions you raised in the reviews, you'll just have to wait and see…hehe.
Chapter 11: Trust is Earned
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"Harry, you've got to promise me you won't go off alone anymore. Do you understand?" Sirius admonished the moment they had returned to the house. Scared is not the word to express how Sirius had felt when he had turned around in the apothecary shop to find…no one. Worried is also not the word to say when Sirius had seen Lucius Malfoy in the presence of Harry. He felt like scolding the boy, yes, that is how worried he had actually been, but Harry had not known to not wander, and that was partially Sirius' own fault. Harry knew Padfoot was serious about this, not only because he could sense it, but his Godfather had addressed him by his name, which was something he had never done before.
"That man could have hurt you. There are many good wizards in the world, Harry, but there are also a lot of bad ones," Sirius explained earnestly, desiring nothing more than for is Godson to understand. Harry nodded, guilt settling itself horribly in his stomach.
"I don't know what I'd have done if anything had happened to you, Prongslet," Sirius said softly, emotion in his voice. And, feeling overwhelmed from the deepness of the emotions, Harry burst into tears. Sirius, who had bent down to the raven-haired boy's level to talk to him, enveloped the sobbing child into his arms.
"I-I'm s-s-sowwy…" Harry sobbed into Sirius shoulder as the older wizard got up with younger in his arms, and moved to the sofa trying to calm him.
"It's okay, Prongslet, its okay. I just don't want anyone to hurt you. You're everything to Moony and I. You won't go off alone anymore, will you?" Sirius asked gently as he rubbed Harry's back in a circular soothing motion. Harry shook his head 'no' in the crook of Sirius' neck as he slowly did his best calm himself, eventually getting himself under control again. For a few minutes, the pair just sat there. Sirius on the sofa, Harry in his lap, head now resting against his Godfather's chest.
"You'we…sad...and…you'we worried," Harry murmured quietly, more to himself than to Sirius, but the Animagus did not fail to catch what the boy had said.
Whoa, how could he…wait…Empathy? Sirius thought, shocked.
"You…know how I feel right now, Prongslet?" Sirius inquired lightly. Harry hesitated for a second before nodding slowly. Sirius' mind reeled from the acquired information.
Is that another of the reasons why he was crying? Sirius thought frantically, blaming himself for pushing his feelings on the boy.
"Harry I-" But when Sirius looked down at his small charge he found him to be asleep. The ebony haired wizard could not help but smile; it sure had been one long morning. He carried Harry to his room and gently laid him down on his new bed, covered him, and kissed him on the forehead. His Godson sighed contentedly in his sleep, and Sirius faintly wondered if empathy worked even when you were out of it. Sirius exited and returned to the living room just as Remus was stepping out of the fire place, having just been to see Dumbledore.
"What'd he say?" Sirius questioned his friend as Remus sat down on the sofa, the Black moving to do the same on the recliner.
"He says he'll have Severus look into it, and see if Voldemort gets any more information that could place Harry in danger," Remus conveyed to his friend, knowing Sirius was not going to like the fact that Snape was to be the one they left their fate to.
"Snivellus! I don't care what Dumbledore says about him, Moony, if he knows where we live he'd all but parade to tell Voldemort!" the Black retorted angrily, trying not to raise his voice because of the napping Harry, but finding it rather difficult.
"There's no other way for us to know when, and if, Voldemort finds out where we are, Padfoot. Severus is an asset," Remus stated intently, trying to get Sirius to at least concede and agree.
"Oh yeah, he's an asset alright," Sirius remarked sarcastically. "You've just got to ask yourself: an asset to 'who', exactly?"
"Padfoot, don't let a schoolboy grudge cloud your judgment when it comes to Harry's safety," the young lycanthrope implored earnestly.
"Fine…but I don't have to like it," Sirius sighed exasperatedly.
"Neither do I, but we have to at least accept it," Remus reasoned. Sirius nodded reluctantly.
"And Harry?" the Lupin asked after a few seconds.
"Asleep," the other answered. Remus nodded understandingly. It was only natural that the boy would have been exhausted after the day's events.
"Moony…can Elemental wizards have powers outside that of the elements themselves?" Sirius asked curiously. Remus looked startled at the abrupt change of subject, but answered none-the-less.
"Yes…Elementals have been known to have quite a few other unique powers that have hardly anything to do with the elements…why?" Remus inquired, eyes narrowing.
"Because, well, I think…Harry's empathic. Literally."
"Empathic?" Remus repeated doubtfully. "There have only been three of those in all wizarding history. The chances that-"
"I guess Harry makes the fourth, then, because he knew exactly how I was feeling earlier, Moony," Sirius stated in all honesty, then proceeded to inform Remus of the talk he and Harry had had.
"Maybe that's why he's starting to trust us more…He doesn't go by words…but by emotion," the amber eyed werewolf mused out loud. Sirius nodded in agreement.
"What someone has to go through to not be able to trust words alone anymore," Remus sighed sadly.
"I'm hoping to help change that."
"You could start by explaining some things to him…" Remus commented, bringing up the subject of earlier. The dog Animagus sighed.
"I'm going to, Moony...eventually. I am. You could help though, you know."
"I can help you help him, but he's your Godson, Padfoot, and it would be James' wish that he knew the whole truth from you," Remus countered. Sirius nodded jadedly, knowing it to be true.
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Dinner that night was an oddly silent affair, everyone lost in their own thoughts. Sirius, about explaining things to Harry. Remus, about the going-ons of that day. And Harry, about why everyone was being so quiet. During lunch, Harry had tried to clear the table in order to wash the dishes, but Remus and Sirius had gently scolded him, and explained that here he would not have to do any of that. He was not their slave, and never would be. Harry found that hard to understand.
Not work? But Aunt Petunia always had me…but they'we nothing wike Aunt Petunia...or Uncle Vernon, Harry had told himself. So now he knew better than to try and clear the dinner table, even though he felt overly compelled to. At times it was hard to understand Padfoot and Moony and their motives, but their emotions told Harry that they cared…
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"Come on, Prongslet, its just a little water," Sirius cooed, attempting to get Harry to let him remove his clothes so that he could bathe the boy. It was around eight thirty at night now and Sirius and Harry where in the younger's room. Remus was in the basement working on the Wolfsbane potion. Harry, at the moment, looked panic-stricken.
"Prongslet, look at me," Sirius ordered gently, yet forcefully at the same time. Harry reluctantly did so. "In the eyes," his Godfather corrected. Harry slowly obeyed.
"Prongslet, would I ever hurt you?" Sirius asked meaningfully. The Potter heir's searching emerald eyes pierced Sirius as though looking into his very soul, but, truth be told, that's what Sirius had wanted Harry to do in the first place. After a pregnant silence Harry answered, "No." Sirius smiled warmly.
"Then, do you trust me enough to give you a bath?" he inquired. Harry took a slow, shaky intake of breath and nodded. Sirius helped Harry undress and grimaced slightly at the bruises; he would get rid of those tonight, he mentally told himself. He then led a towel draped Harry to the bathroom and ran the water. Harry watched the tub fill, fear evident in his green eyes, but reminded himself that this was Padfoot and not Aunt Petunia.
"Ready?" Sirius asked once the bath was half-way full with warm water. Harry, now looking resolved, nodding again said, "Yeah..." Sirius took the towel off his young charge and placed it on the sink, then lifted Harry, who stiffened something terrible, into the tub. Harry had his eyes tight shut, and after it was all said and done and he was in the water, he slowly opened them to find Sirius there, on bended knee, next to him, outside the tub.
"See, its not that bad is it?" the bluish-grey eyed wizard chuckled. Harry let out a shuddering breath he had not known he had been holding and nodded once, not wanting to answer Sirius' question, but slowly relaxing his muscles. The next ten minutes consisted of body soaping and hair washing. Sirius always asked before he did, as if making it all Harry's decision. He did not want Harry to think he was forcing this on him. Especially since it seemed Harry had been traumatized, in some way or another, by the Dursley's, when it came to water.
"Now all we need to do is dry you off, kiddo," Sirius said, wrapping Harry in the towel and picking him up out of the tub. Harry smiled a genuine smile – the bath was done and over with. He had dreamed about having a family, yes, but he had never hoped it to come true, and here he was with two people who cared more for him than he could even say. He wished things would stay like this forever. Sirius helped Harry dry himself and his hair, which, like James', would not lay flat for anything. He then instructed the young boy to return to the three -year-old's room while he, Sirius, went to his room to get the bruise salve that Madam Pomfrey had provided them. He arrived at Harry's room to find the child, wrapped in his towel, wearing his new boxer shorts, sitting on his bed patiently, cross-legged.
"Harry…you know all I want to do is help you and be here for you, right?" the twenty-five-year-old questioned as he sat at the foot of Harry's bed. The young Potter nodded without hesitation this time around.
"Well, what I have here is going to heal your bruises on the spot, by magic, but the downside is that it's going to sting. Only for a bit, but it will," Sirius stated sadly, causing Harry's gaze to shift uncertainly to the salve jar in his Godfather's hand, worry flashing briefly in his emerald eyes. He then drifted his gaze back up to meet Sirius', who had been studying Harry's face anxiously the whole time.
"You won't be hurwting me on powpose…I…I twust you," Harry answered with certainty in his tone and in his eyes, causing Sirius' face to light up in a true smile, Harry having made him happier than anyone ever had. Knowing the boy actually believed in him was something Sirius had wanted since the day he had been dubbed Harry's Godfather by James and Lily.
The child took off the towel and Sirius opened the container of salve, now feeling dismal about what was to come.
"Why don't we start with your back?" he inquired tentatively. Harry complied and turned around, resigned to taking the pain. He did only have to do this once, he reasoned with himself, and that was a comforting thought. Though, the second the salve touched his skin, all previous thoughts of comfort where erased. Sirius heard Harry take sharp and painful intake of breath as his small hands formed tight fists…but not one more sound was emitted from the boy as he determinedly sat through the pain. When Sirius was done, the salve on Harry's body, as well as the bruises, had disappeared completely and Harry's eyes were shinning with unshed tears, a single one escaping down his smooth cheek. Sirius hated having to have done it; Harry's sole gasp when Sirius had just begun had shattered his heart, not to mention the silence from his Godson that had followed throughout the rest of the application. Sirius wrapped his arms around his Charge and pulled him to his chest as the tears Harry had withheld were finally released, no longer able to withhold them, in silent sobs.
"I know, Prongslet. Let it all out. You should never have to hold in your feelings. Never. It's going to be okay now, kiddo, it's going to be okay. I love you, you know that?" Sirius asked, fighting tears, himself, that where threatening to fall, as he planted a kiss on Harry's large tuft of black hair. Harry nodded as silent tears continued to fall, though feeling the safest he ever had with his Godfather holding him in his arms.
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A/N: I felt both sad and happy as I wrote this chapter, horribly conflicting emotions if you ask me. –Sigh- But it had to be done and there it is. Hope you enjoyed it. I'm glad to know you all like these little Author's Notes I put down here. The story is flowing and Harry's b-day will most likely be in the next chapter, and what a day it should be… Anyway, review please and give me your thoughts and opinions. The more reviews, the faster the chapters are out, as you all already are familiar with. Thanks again for all your support and positive feedback!