That night, however, Harry hardly got any sleep. It helped that Sirius let him stay over at his flat again, because even though Sirius's flat was truly a real hole in the wall, Harry liked it because Sirius lived there. But it was still hard for Harry to get any sleep. He stayed up, staring at the clock on the wall, watching the hours go by. When the clock hit midnight, he would be eleven for real...By now it was half-past eleven. Only thirty minutes and Harry wouldn't be ten anymore.
Barbara was right about that, Harry thought. Eleven IS a big deal. When I'm eleven I still won't be a teenager, but I won't be a kid anymore, either.
Oh well. The thought of being a teenager made him a little apprehensive, anyway. Harry knew from Sirius that in the Wizarding world, you became of age at seventeen. Six years from now, would he still be staring at the clock, this time waiting to turn into an adult? Would he be great at magic, like his parents? Would he look like his father? Would he be shaving and have a deeper voice? Would he have a girlfriend? But who would that be?
11:45, said the clock.
Harry looked down at Sirius, sleeping peacefully on the floor in his purple sleeping bag, clutching the pillow he had conjured from midair. Tonight, he hadn't had any night terrors. Harry really didn't want to disturb his godfather's sleep, but he still would have liked Sirius to sit up with him, just for a little while…
"Sirius?" whispered Harry, poking Sirius gently.
"Whuh?" Sirius mumbled, blinking sleepily.
"It's me, Harry," said Harry, still in his whispering voice.
"What is it?" said Sirius, brushing a lock of long, tousled black hair out of his eyes.
"I can't sleep," Harry told him.
"Still worried about the court date?" asked Sirius, climbing out of his sleeping bag and sitting down on the edge of the bed.
"Yeah," said Harry, getting up so he could sit next to Sirius.
"I'm telling you, Harry, it's all going to be fine," said Sirius. "Mr. Glacier has been practicing family law for almost fifty years now. The man definitely knows what he's doing—and we've got the will, remember?"
"I just wish we could skip to this September when I get to go to Hogwarts, and all the yucky legal stuff will be done," Harry confessed. "I have to get my court-ordered physical and psychiatric exams so we can sue the Muggles…"
"Well, that, and you probably need a checkup and your booster shots anyway," said Sirius thoughtfully.
"They're going to give me shots, too?!" Harry wailed.
"Think about it this way," said Sirius. "If you'd gotten a flu shot, you might not have gotten so sick a few weeks ago."
"Maybe," said Harry, "but those hurt a lot, don't they? Shots?"
"Well, it's been a long time since I've had to get a shot, but as I seem to recall, it really is just a pinch, and then it's over," Sirius told him. "It helps a great deal if you don't watch, of course."
"I'm eleven now," said Harry, pointing at the clock; it was nearly fifteen after.
"And it seems like just yesterday I held you for the first time," said Sirius, giving him a hug. "You really are growing up so fast, aren't you?"
"If you think about it, I'm still not a teenager, but I'm not a kid anymore, either," said Harry, voicing what he had been thinking about earlier that night. "Not that I mind so much. I don't really want to turn into a teenager."
"Why not?" said Sirius.
"I-I don't think I'm ready for that kind of change," Harry told him quietly. "All that stuff older kids have to deal with…It just seems kind of scary."
"Well, it's really not as scary as you think," said Sirius with a small smile. "I was your age once too, you know. So was your dad."
It was hard for Harry to imagine Sirius as an eleven-year-old, but of course he knew it was true.
"Do you think I'll be okay?" Harry asked.
"Of course," said Sirius. "As an adult, I can tell you this out of experience. You worry about all this stuff at first—well, why wouldn't you? But then, when you're all done growing up, you look back and realize there wasn't really much to worry about in the first place. The one thing all adults have in common is that they've survived these changes. And you will too."
"I still don't see how I could ever possibly be tall," said Harry. "Barbara thought I was about eight when she first met me, I could tell."
"It's because you were malnourished," Sirius said firmly. "The food at Hogwarts will help. It's basically like a free buffet every breakfast, lunch and dinner, and then they have the start-of-term feast and the Halloween feast and all that. When we were in school, your dad and I would sometimes sneak into the kitchens and nick food from there, too. For your dad's birthday in our sixth year, we stayed up all night making and eating cupcakes. Nobody ever goes hungry at Hogwarts, especially not the child of a Marauder."
"Why?" asked Harry.
"Because you have James's copy of the Map," Sirius replied. "So you and your friends can use it for nicking food, just like we did."
"What if I don't make any friends?" said Harry in a small voice.
"You will," Sirius told him. "You're a good person. And if you remember your self-confidence, that helps too."
For a few minutes, there was an echoing silence, then Harry asked, "Are you sure you're going to get custody of me after the court date tomorrow?"
"I promise I will," Sirius reassured him. "Now, we don't want you to be tired on the big day, so please try and get some rest, all right? There is no way I'm going to make the same mistake I made ten years ago."
"What mistake?"
"I should have fought tooth and nail for you that horrible November day," said Sirius, as Harry got back into bed, "and it's what I am going to do, tomorrow. The hell with Dumbledore's orders—I'm your godfather. And as long as I'm with you, no harm will ever come to you."
"Thanks, Sirius," said Harry sleepily, grabbing his Prongs toy again.
"You're welcome," Sirius replied, pulling the covers up to Harry's neck and tousling his hair. "Goodnight."
…
The next morning seemed to come much too early. When Harry woke up, he couldn't hear the shower running, but the bathroom door was closed, so he got up and knocked. When Sirius opened it, his hair was still wet from his shower, he was wearing his blue dressing-gown and he still had shaving cream on his face.
"I can't shirk today," he said. "I've got to look put together."
"Doesn't that hurt?" Harry asked, sitting down on the side of the bathtub and watching Sirius.
"Not if you know what you're doing," Sirius replied. "Don't go touching this, though—it can slice your fingers open."
"Who do you know who's sliced their fingers open on a razor?" Harry asked interestedly.
"My brother, Regulus," said Sirius. "When he was about fifteen or so, and he decided to shave for the first time…Somehow he managed to nearly slice his own finger off instead. But he hadn't gotten permission from our parents to shave yet, so it was up to me to help him stop the bleeding and all that."
"Sounds kind of rebellious, for him at least," said Harry, grinning.
"Well, he'd surprise you sometimes," said Sirius thoughtfully. "I mean, it's not like he was ever that rude to me—nothing more than normal sibling banter between us. I guess it wasn't all his fault he was the favorite. It was kind of hard to know what was going on in his head sometimes."
"You know, it sounds like he kind of looked up to you a little," said Harry. "I'll bet he missed you when you left."
"If he looked up to me," said Sirius, "why ever would he join the Death Eaters?"
"I don't know." Harry shrugged. "But he couldn't have asked for a better older brother, that's all."
"Thank you, Harry," said Sirius as he finished up his shaving and rinsed his face, then magically dried his hair. "Okay, listen—I'm going to get dressed out there while you get a shower in here. Make sure you wash your hair. We've both got to look nice."
Sirius dressed in a suit that looked kind of like the ones Uncle Vernon wore to work, and he combed his hair into a ponytail again. Harry wore his dress shirt and slacks, and Sirius let him borrow a tie. By now, Harry had (for the most part) gotten used to wearing the antiperspirant every day; he only wore the cologne on special occasions, but since he considered a court date to be a special occasion, he sprayed it behind his ears and on his wrists like Sirius told him.
"Looking good," said Sirius. "Now we have to do this…"
Just like he had done for his own hair, Sirius magically dried Harry's hair (although they didn't bother trying to comb it), and he tied Harry's tie. Sirius grabbed a briefcase sitting near the door and they set out.
"How are we getting there?" Harry asked, trying not to breathe through his nose as they stepped into the hallway that smelled of cigarette smoke. "The motorcycle?"
"Nah, that'll mess up our hair and clothes," Sirius replied. "You don't mind taking the Underground, do you? Like when we went to House of Fraser?"
"No, I don't," said Harry.
So that was what they did. When they finally reached the courthouse in London, Mr. Glacier was already there, waiting for them.
"Harry! Sirius!" he said genially, energetically shaking hands with them both. "Good to see you, good to see you."
"Good to see you too, Mr. Glacier," Harry said politely.
Mr. Glacier smiled and led them into the courthouse, where the jury and the judge were waiting. It looked just like Harry had seen on TV, right down to the little soapbox where the witnesses stood. He was forcibly reminded of his latest nightmare, in which he had stood up in front of the jury and yelled, "I did it! That's right, me! And I feel great!"
"Unless you have something you'd like to say, Harry, Sirius and I will do all the talking," said Mr. Glacier. "You're a little early, so your aunt and uncle aren't here yet."
"So what should I do if I have got something to say?" Harry asked. "Stand up and shout 'Objection!', maybe?"
"Just raise your hand and say, 'Permission to approach the stand, Your Honor', or something like that," said Mr. Glacier. "You are only ten, after all. The court doesn't really expect you to know all the rules."
"I'm actually eleven," said Harry. "Today is my birthday."
"Well, Happy Birthday!" Mr. Glacier said, looking shocked. "If I had known, I would have gotten you a gift!"
"Oh, that's okay," Harry told him hurriedly. "It's more than enough that you're helping me move in with my godfather."
It was at that moment that Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia turned up. Uncle Vernon was wearing his best suit, and Aunt Petunia was wearing her favorite work party dress. From what Harry could tell, these work parties involved very little actual partying—they were really just another opportunity to network. So her dress looked fitting enough in a courtroom as well. Harry avoided their eyes; they didn't look happy about having to go to court.
"Order! Order in the court," said the judge, slamming his gavel. "We are gathered here today to decide whether Mr. Harry James Potter—" (he gestured to Harry) "—should move in with his godfather, or stay with his aunt and uncle. Mr. Potter is represented by Mr. Bernard Glacier—Mr. Glacier, do you have an opening statement? I do hope you haven't forgotten James Potter's will."
"I haven't," said Mr. Glacier coolly, whipping it out of his suit.
The jury looked impressed, and so was Harry.
"What does the will say?" asked the judge.
"In Article 2, Guardianship of Minor," said Mr. Glacier, "it says, It is my request that the permanent guardianship and power-of-attorney of my son Harry James Potter be given to my close friend, Sirius Orion Black."
"That's me," said Sirius.
"Very well, then," the judge replied. "Vernon and Petunia Dursley, do you have an opening statement?"
There was a very quiet pause.
"Well, actually," Uncle Vernon began, "we aren't extremely attached to the boy, to be honest."
"Yes, you can take him if you want," said Aunt Petunia, looking fearfully at Sirius. Harry knew she was hoping that if Harry cut off ties with her, Sirius might do so as well.
Another long pause.
"Well, that was anti-climactic," muttered the judge finally, then slammed his gavel down again. "All right then! Sirius Orion Black will be awarded full custody of his godson, Harry James Potter. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, you are free to go."
"Yes!" cried Sirius, and he hugged Harry very tightly. Harry hugged him back, feeling like he couldn't wipe the grin off his face. The Dursleys scuttled out of the courtroom, and Harry's heart flew, knowing that, thanks to Sirius, he never had to spend one more day in their house.
"Mr. Potter, you are allowed to live with Mr. Black from this moment on," the judge continued. "However, Mr. Black will have to sign some paperwork before you are officially his, of course."
"I can help with that," said Mr. Glacier; he was grinning, too.
As they left the courtroom, Sirius told Harry about what their living arrangements would be.
"We might have to live in my old flat for a bit before we can move into the new one," he was saying as he, Harry and Mr. Glacier rushed out into the sunshine. "Later today we can pack all your things and go."
"It's okay," Harry told him, beaming.
"Who wants to go out to brunch and celebrate?" Mr. Glacier suggested. "I'll foot the bill."
NEXT UP: What will living with Sirius be like? How soon can they move into the new flat? And what, oh what, will Barbara say when Sirius has the relationship talk with her? Find out soon!