Azkaban was always so cold.
That's the one thing Sirius noticed after only a few days in his cell. The crisp air seeped quietly into his bones and the shivering was a constant. The screaming was also consistent, a different sound each day to wake the man up from his nightmares. Sirius knew, from the stories and from now lived experience that people lost their minds here. Either the guilt or the loneliness caused every single person to go a little bit insane. The only exception was Sirius, although the cocky, handsome man that entered was deceased, parts of him still remained. He wasn't screaming, he wasn't begging for a way out, he was still. Silent. Staring at the floor with his dead grey eyes, twiddling his thumbs.
All of that however, was about to change.
It was July 19th, 1983. A Tuesday to be precise. Of course, Sirius didn't know that. He hadn't known the date for many years. The days just kept on going in Azkaban, the same routine repeating itself until that's the only thing you ever know. The steps that echoed through the cell caused him to look up. There seemed to be a glitch in the system.
A man in a blue robe was walking slowly towards him. Sirius quickly stood, confusion plain as day written on his face. People didn't come to Azkaban, especially people with such colourful clothes. It had been years since somebody had worn a colour other than faded black and white. The confusion soon flicked to surprise as the man kept walking towards him. No one had ever visited. He didn't think it was possible. The man eventually stopped, right outside his cell and his hands quickly went to work opening the door.
"Sirius Orion Black?" The man's gravelly voice asked, and Sirius could only nod, his voice far too weak to be used.
The man gave a small grunt before pulling the door open, standing aside to await Sirius' exit. But he stood, frozen in the room that he had been wrongly caged in years ago as a bewildered look passed over his face. The bulky man huffed in frustration, quite obviously annoyed at the lack of cooperation of the criminal. So he pulled out a small scroll, quickly rolling it out before speaking.
"The Ministry of Magic has officially recognised that Sirius Orion Black is not guilty of the crime charged against him. Peter Pettigrew has been found, as of now, in the middle of a trial awaiting verdict." Sirius flinched at the man's loud voice and monotone way of phrasing his words. He had just turned Sirius' life upside down in one sentence. "Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is to meet Auror Black at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to discuss further details. Auror Tyler will be the one to collect Mr. Black." The scroll was then rolled up, and the man waited for Sirius to get moving.
"Is this some form of cruel punishment?" Sirius asked, his voice squeaking, making him wince. He tried clearing his throat but it only made it worse, so he vouched to keep quiet.
Tyler, as Sirius now knew, rolled his eyes. "If you wish to stay here you are very welcome." Tyler responded, "but no, this is no joke. Come, I'm sure Dumbledore will answer all the questions you have." Still very wary, Sirius slowly walked out of cell and followed Tyler out towards his freedom.
Nothing could compare to living in a cell in Azkaban; however, walking through the prison as inmates watched on wasn't Sirius' favourite activity either. As he walked, shouts and screams could be heard. It was always so dark so he had a hard time distinguishing who were the ones making all the noise. It seemed to last forever, walking past all these people. But eventually light began to filer through his vision.
Sirius still felt wary, but so far it looked like he was on his way out of this God forsaken place. His days behind bars were soon going to be behind him, maybe he could even seek out the forgiveness that he thought he so desperately needed.
What Sirius didn't know was that no one blamed him, everyone blamed themselves for not seeing Peter for what he truly was, for letting Sirius rot in hell, for James and Lily dying, for not being able to stop Voldemort before he took too much, but no one blamed him.
The warmth that spread through him as he walked towards a low warm light made him realise that somehow he had left Azkaban altogether. He didn't know how but he wasn't in that place anymore. Auror Tyler walked quietly in front of him until he stopped outside of a large silver framed door. It was in the middle of a long brick wall that carried on both west and east for as long as Sirius's eyes could see. When he turned round all he could see was darkness, no glance at what was once his life for so long.
He then turned back towards Tyler who had his hand on a golden handle, "This is where you and I part ways." He said calmly, "Just walk through these doors and Professor Dumbledore will be there to help you." A small hoarse thank you was the reply that Tyler got as the door was twisted open and Tyler walked away down the endless corridor.
Sirius didn't even bother looking back before he rushed through the door and entered this brand new room. The room that he stepped into was bright, so bright that he had to shield his eyes for a few moments to adjust to the new level light. When he could see again, he saw everything. Not just the dark greying colours of Azkaban, but blues, purples, greens and yellows. Sirius had forgotten that there could be so many colours.
The curtains were a bold red, with golden trimming along the top that he gratefully noticed were drawn, shielding the outside light. There was a grandfather clock which was a beautiful oak colour. When he felt the warmth against his back he turned to see blazes of the golden fire which made another smile appear on his face, but a full on grin spread when he saw Dumbledore. He was sitting in a chair, green robes shining brightly.
"Professor." He whispered, and for the first time he noticed he was shaking. All this new emotion was taking effect on him. Dumbledore gave a quiet smile, before looking pointedly at the chair opposite him.
"I have thought that perhaps a drink would be important." At the pleased look in Sirius' eyes a small chuckle escaped from the headmaster's lips. A gold chalice appeared on the desk that was filed to the brim with a dark liquid.
Soon Sirius couldn't feel the dryness in his throat, and his voice was gradually getting stronger, needing time to get used to being in use again. He had no idea what this liquid was but it was already making him feel better. "Professor…" Sirius started but stopped when he had no idea what to say next. The man had so many questions he had no idea where to begin. " What's happening?" Sirius eventually asked. Starting simple.
Dumbledore heaved a heavy sigh. "We got it so wrong." Albus started, and Sirius could hear in his voice the sorrow. "There are not enough apologies in the world to make up for what was done to you." Sirius began shaking again, this time not from weakness but from sheer effort to try and hold back the sobs that were eventually going to burst out of him. At Sirius' silence, the Professor continued. "Peter was found by Arthur Weasley last month. He had been posing as their pet rat. Bought him straight in, and as soon as the news spread a trial was started. A few drops of Veritaserum and, well we knew you were innocent." The Professor spoke slowly, letting the man digest the information.
Eventually Sirius spoke, "What is to happen now?" Sirius mentally had to deal with the information of what was happening to Peter but for now he could not find the strength. All he wanted was a soft bed and some warm food.
"Now, dear boy, you can do whatever you want." Sirius sat back on the soft cushions of the chair and let out a big sigh. Whatever he wanted. He was free. Free of his family, free of Voldemort, free of Azkaban. For the first time in his life there was no battle to fight. "I know it can seem quite daunting but the ministry and myself will do whatever we can to help set you up."
Sirius didn't even know where to begin. Until suddenly he sat bolt upright. "What of Harry?!" Sirius asked, guilt washing over him. How could he have forgotten about his Godson?
"Harry has been living with his Aunt and Uncle for the last three years." Sirius would have stood in outrage if he had the strength. A snarl rose from his throat.
"I hope you are talking about some long lost sibling and not Lily's older sister! She hated magic, anything to do with it. How on earth did you think it was wise to let her look after Harry?" His heart hurt as he thought of the little babe he knew. The boy was the joy of both James and Lily's lives, as well of course of Sirius'. The black haired baby with his chubby cheeks and emerald green could brighten anyone's day and it made Sirius heartbreak at the thought of his Godson being anywhere near those magic hating muggles.
"It was the only place that was safe. Harry is famous, The Boy Who Lived. There isn't a wizard out there who won't know him. He needed to be out of the spotlight, and still does." It took a while for Sirius to realise what Dumbledore was saying. The thought of keeping Harry at the Dursley's even though he could look after him, it broke him.
"No. I'm his Godfather, Lily and James would want me to look after him." His heartbeat sped up rapidly, the prospect of Harry being so close, yet being unable to go near him hurt him more than he dared say.
"Sirius..." Dumbledore started, "What I am trying to say is that.. Harry is a famous young boy. We need to keep him out of the spotlight. And having him go back with his now very famous innocent godfather probably is not what is best for him."
"What's best for him is to be with the person that his parents trusted to look after him." Sirius could feel anxiety curdling in his stomach, "there was a reason that Petunia was nowhere near their will. She should not have been given the opportunity to be close to him!"
"I had a feeling you would state your case." Dumbeldore remarked idly, "which is why I am giving you the opportunity to see Harry. Just for a moment so you can see him and then maybe you could arrange visits."
"The opportunity? I don't think you quite understand what I am saying here Professor," Sirius had to work on remaining calm, "Harry is my Godson. He is my responsibility. If I am going to see him then I plan on taking him away from those muggles."
"And what if Harry was happy? Loved his home and his family?"
Sirius scoffed at the idea, "If he is happy then I wouldn't want to take that away from him. But he is going to be a part of my life."
Dumbledore sighed and nodded his consent. "We shall head over there tomorrow. But first, we need to get your strength up. Madame Pomfrey is expecting you to come and see her." A stern look was passed between teacher and former student, and a reluctant nod was shown that he would accept Dumbledore's request.
It was strange to be back at Hogwarts, it felt like a lifetime ago that he had stepped out from the large castle doors and into the real world. The corridors were empty for the summer holidays, so the school was quiet for once. Everything looked just the same but just shinier. The portraits were still familiar, although the real details of each framed piece were lost to him. As were all the decorations, the large statues, the bright chandeliers, the grand staircases. The great architecture of the building still gave Sirius the same feeling as it did the first time he walked up the steps. A new beginning, a new start. To step away from his past and be who he wanted.
A feeling of grief fell over him as he remembered the fun he had with his best friends. James. The pranks they pulled, the great laughs they had, the things that they found out together. The life lessons he learnt with Remus, turning into an animagus just for him, was one of the best decisions he had ever made but also one of the most difficult.
"What of Remus?" Sirius suddenly asked Dumbledore as they walked towards the hospital wing. "How is he?"
"Remus is in France as of present and he is faring well. I do believe he is on his way back here, and if what Professor McGonagall is saying is true, then he is here to see you." Sirius' eyebrows lifted at that statement, surprised at the fact that his friend would travel so far just to see him. "He has been your best friend for years." Dumbledore added, knowing the thoughts that were cementing themselves in his mind. "Of course he would come and see you."
Their walk remained in comfortable silence until they reached the hospital wing, looking the same as it did when Sirius was at school. "Madame Pomfrey will be waiting for you." Dumbledore gave a bright smile, "I will come and get you tomorrow morning." They said their farewells and the professor was off.
As soon as Sirius walked into the medical ward he was greeted by two smiling faces. Professor McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey, both equally pleased to see him. They wore bright grins and gave him gracious words of greetings.
"Sirius, please sit." Madame Pomfrey said as she was pointing to one of the white beds lined up against the wall. "I'll fetch you a cup of tea before examining you okay?" Sirius could only nod, feeling like he was back in his third year when he fell off his broom and broke his wrist. McGonagall smiled at him, a look of pure relief among her face. Soon a look of surprise blossomed on Sirius' face as his once Professor gave him a big tight hug.
"I am so sorry." She whispered before stepping back, "The things that you must have endured, the place you went to. The horrors you must have had to face and no one helped. We didn't even-" McGonagall shook her head and hand covering her mouth, eyes closed as she stopped speaking. Sirius didn't reply; he didn't know what to say. The silence was only interrupted when the Hogwarts healer had come back, a tray with three cups of tea in hand. The professor quickly accepted hers, graciously having something else to keep her mind occupied.
"Now, Sirius, I am just going to do a few spells. You won't feel a thing my dear." Sirius placed his cup of tea on the stand next to the bed and closed his eyes. "You might feel better if you were lying down." Madame Pomfrey added and Sirius nodded, grateful for that small relief.
"Thank you." He said, realising that he had been quiet the whole time he had been here. The nurse nodded before starting to wave her wand around, different colours and feelings whizzing around him.
It took no longer than 5 minutes before the healer stopped, a smile gracing her face. "No major problems, I just need to get a few things for you to take with you and then you can sleep." She then turned round and walked towards her office.
"How did he do it?" McGonagall suddenly spoke after a pregnant silence, "How did he get away? How could this all have happened?" Tears had welled up in her eyes as she looked on, probably not realising she was speaking out loud.
"Please, Professor Mcgonagall, you don't need to feel upset about any of this." Sirius started, not quite knowing what to say to stop her tears. "It was my own fault for trusting Peter. But I'm out now, and about to see Harry again," at that a smile couldn't help but break out on his face, "so it's okay now. Everything will be okay." Sirius whispered and McGonagall nodded, tears still silently streaming down her face.
"But Animagi?" McGonagall asked after a beat of silence, "all of you?"
"Yes, well apart from Remus of course," a fond smile rose on his face, the death like features that had been carved in from Azkaban, lightened as he did so. McGonagall suddenly smiled, her eyes wide. A gleaming proud smile on her face.
"That must have taken years to perfect." Sirius nodded, a little chuckle wheezed its way out of his lips and he realised that was the first time he had laughed in years.
"Took 3 years altogether." He said after a short pause, "Padfoot, Prongs, Moony and Wormtail. They were our nicknames."
"The marauders." She whispered quietly, and both then remained quiet until Pomfrey was back. In her hand was a small purple glass bottle held along with a box of chocolate. Sirius sat up.
"Now, this" and she held out the purple bottle, "is to be taken once a day, to help you gain strength. Only one teaspoon a day and your strength should come back in no time. And this," she then held out the chocolate frog, "is to help along with the recovery." She handed them to him with a warm smile and he took them, placing the potion and frog on the stand.
"Thank you." He said again not knowing what else he could say to convey his gratitude towards them, moving over to hug her before turning away. "Both of you."
Madame Pomfrey guided him towards a bathroom that had the promise of hot running water and soap. Sirius had never been so excited at the prospect. The healer handed him some clothes before instructing him to come back to the wing once he was finished.
Sirius could have cried once the water was running over his body. He would never taken warm water for granted again.
Before he knew he was back in the hospital wing, lying down on the cot and trying to clear his mind so he could rest his exhausted body and sleep. But alas sleep was not coming. It was dark, the moon shining through the glass window and Sirius couldn't shut his eyes. What if this is all a dream? He didn't want to close his eyes and wake up back in his cell. He didn't think he would have coped. Sirius was quite the expert at staying still and silent for long periods of time, so he had no trouble lying there waiting for the sun to rise. But it appeared, as always, that Madame Pomfrey knew better seeing as she was walking toward him when the clock nearly struck midnight and handing him another potion.
"I know sleep won't come easily my dear," she said softly, "but you need all you can get before you see Harry. Take this," she then pushed the bottle into the man's palm, "it's a calmer, it should send you to sleep naturally instead of those sleeping potions that knock you out for hours." After thanking her and taking a sip, he did feel calmer. Slowly, so slowly that he didn't even notice, Sirius closed his eyes.
When the man next opened his eyes, the sun was rising and the room was light again. Although it was still early, it was more than Sirius expected so he was grateful. Once the morning had come through and breakfast was eaten Sirius showered again, never getting enough of the warmth, before waiting for Dumbledore to come.
"Good morning Sirius." Dumbledore greeted, coming into the room only a few minutes after Sirius had sat down. "I have arranged with the Dursleys for us to come and visit. They are expecting us promptly." With that said the two left the school behind and apparated behind a tree, hiding from the muggles, to a road lined with houses.
"Now," Dumbledore said as he walked through the tree lined path that led them out in the open. "Privet Drive, number four." The professor looked around until he spotted the right house. "Ah yes, here it is. Come along." The two made their way towards where Harry was living. Sirius could feel nerves start to grow. Dumbledore knocked and soon a beefy man with a greying moustache stood in front of him, his skin already a flaming red.
"Are you here for the boy?" He asked, his voice naval reminding him a lot of his father. Before he could even answer, a thin-lipped tall lady came behind him, a look of fear in her eyes.
"Come in, quick, and hurry before the neighbours see." She said, making room for the two men to enter their home. And there was Harry, with his thick black hair and rounded glasses. He had a small blue backpack on and an oversized shirt that seemed to cover most of his body. Sirius couldn't help the big smile that broke out on his face as he knelt down to the boy's height. He almost started crying, he looked exactly the same as James, all except the eyes. Even the glasses were a match.
"Harry." Sirius breathed. The small boy stared up at him with his big green eyes, his hand clasped tightly a small ragged teddy bear with one eye and no ears. "We going?" Harry asked, his eyes so full of hope it broke Sirius's heart. Sirius looked up confused at the two Dursleys. "Now that you're here, we assumed that you would want him." Petunia mumbled through narrowed eyes. Hope began to flare up inside Sirius. He looked over at Albus who was frowning.
"We were only coming for a visit." The professor stated in a hesitant tone.
"You said that someone wants to see Harry." Vernon started, "Said his godfather was back."
"And we're not keeping him if there is someone else out there who is meant to have him. Last I checked, godfather trumps us." Petunia added, folding her arms over her chest. Sirius didn't understand. Were they really this willing to give Harry up? He gently picked the boy up, Harry's arms wrapping tightly around his neck, his legs around his waist.
"Petunia," Dumbledore started but Sirius interrupted.
"Would you be willing to give me full custody?"
"Yes, yes. Now take him and make it quick. We don't want our neighbours to see." Vernon spat out, his eyes wide. Sirius could not believe it. When he came he was expecting some sort of fight but not this.
With a determined nod Sirius turned towards Albus. "I'm taking him." There was no room for arguments. Dumbledore collected what little belongings Harry had as Sirius' arms were rather full with the little boy.
"Hey, are you wanting to say goodbye?" Sirius asked quietly, not wanting to scare him. The boy gently shook his head.
"We go now?" The boy's voice was so soft that Sirius quickly obeyed, walking out of the door without even a second glance.
The air was chilly that morning, the weather not realising it was summer quite yet. The sky was filled with dark clouds, and rain splattered on the ground every so often. All Harry had on was his big shirt and pair of faded shorts which Sirius realised had holes in it. Sirius quickly put the boy on the ground, his feet covered by some clearly worn shoes. Shrugging off his jacket, letting himself feel the cold for the first time since his imprisonment, he placed the large piece of clothing over the small frame of the boy. He had been very careful to keep himself warm since he had left not wanting to remember the years that he had spent curled up in a corner, his body raking with shivers from the frost of his cell. But this was Harry, and he would do anything for that small boy. "Fank yoo." The boy whispered as Sirius lifted him back up, walking towards where the two men had apparated in. Dumbledore was right behind them.
"We shall go back to Hogwarts and figure out what to do from there." Dumbledore spoke to them both.
Once the trio were settled back at Hogwarts, Harry looking at everything in amazement, the conversion restarted.
"Where do we go from here?" Sirius asked, Harry sitting in his lap. The man didn't think he could quite let go of the small boy just yet.
"Well," A smile rose on the professor's face, "I took the liberty of finding you a place to live." Handing Sirius a piece of paper, it had all the information about the house. It was a three bed, thatched roof, little cottage in the outskirts of Bath. There was a garden with green grass and flowers dotted around. It was perfect.
"Professor," Sirius whispered in awe. He would have never expected Albus to do this for him.
"As penance for their mistake the ministry gifted some money to you. I thought that some of it could go towards this."
"What do you think, Harry?" Sirius asked the boy on his lap who had been very quiet. Sirius understood, his world had changed in a blink of an eye. Sirius would be silent as well. Harry peered at the information before reaching a small hand out and touching the picture of the cottage. He jumped back in shock when he saw the picture moving; showing a different angle of the building. A giggle especared the boy as he reached over and touched it again. The picture jumped again.
"Well, I think he likes it." Sirius mumbled and gave Albus a blinding smile.
Which was how the trio ended up just outside their new house, standing in the driveway. "This is where I bid you farewell." Dumbledore started, handing the key to the house over to the other man. "Tomorrow I will have someone bring everything that was kept for you."
"I don't even know where to begin to thank you." Sirius said.
"There is no need. Just keep yourself and Harry safe and healthy and that will be repayment enough." And with that he was gone, snapping out of existence.
"Well, it looks like it is just you and me, hey bud?" Sirius spoke to Harry as he walked to a large wooden door.
"Me Harry!" The little boy said excitedly,
"Yeah, you're Harry and I'm Sirius. Can you say Sirius?"
"Si'ius." Harry tried and his effort caused a little laugh to escape from the animagus which in turn caused Harry to giggle.
"Shall we have an explore?" Sirius asked, placing the boy down on the floor. Green eyes swiveled around as they looked at everything. There wasn't much to see. The walls were a blank beige, with brown wooden flooring. "Let's head upstairs and see if there is a room for you." Anxiety started to bubble again when he realised that the house didn't look very furnished. Would there be a bed for the boy? He couldn't exactly have him sleeping on the floor.
"Room? For me?" Harry had stopped and stared up at Sirius in wonder.
"Yeah baby," Sirius responded confused. He knelt down so he was the same level as the boy. "You could live with me here. If you want." Sirius realised that Harry didn't get much say in where he wanted to be. What if he wanted to go back?
"I no go back?"
"Not if you don't want to." A big grin lit up the boy's face before two skinny arms stretched up and wrapped around Sirius' neck in a tight hug.
"P'ease! P'ease!"
"Yeah? You want to stay here with me?" Sirius asked, relief coursing through him. At Harry's nod Sirius let out a relieved sigh before sweeping the boy up in his arms.
The ventured upstairs and found four doors. Upon expectation there was one bathroom and three bedrooms. Relief swept through him when he found one room with a small bed on it, perfect for Harry.
"This will be your room." Stated Sirius setting Harry down on the bed and placing himself next to him. Harry looked confused. "You can change it if you want," Sirius quickly amended, "Change the colour, get some more furniture. Anything you want."
"My bed?" Harry asked, his small hand rubbing the surface of the duvet.
"Yeah Harry, your bed. Do you not like it?"
"I never had bed." Harry stated and white hot anger flared through Sirius, "I only got cu'bord! P'ease no cu'bord!" Harry wailed and clambered onto Sirius' lap.
"Hey, hey. No cupboard I promise." Sirius kissed the boy's forehead, right on his hairline. "You'll have this room and you can stay on this bed." Thoughts raced through Sirius' mind. A cupboard? Surely the Dursleys weren't so cruel that they didn't even give Harry a bedroom?
Harry's stomach grumbled loudly and a small rosy colour covered his cheeks as he looked pointedly down at the ground. "Hungry?" Sirius asked, grateful to have a distraction. If he kept going down the path of his thoughts he was sure he would go back to the Dursleys and hex them into oblivion. "Let's see what we have." Sirius whispered to himself. They both headed downstairs, Harry seeming reluctant to let Sirius go and the older man quite happy to comply with his wishes. Sirius knew he was going to have to make food without magic for the time being, which he knew was going to be a struggle. He didn't even know what was going to be in the cupboards, if anything.
"What do you want to eat?" Sirius asked, looking at the small boy. The boy merely shrugged, not knowing a whole lot about selecting foods. Sirius turned back to the cupboard, picking up a box that looked quite edible.
"How about this? Mac and cheese? Is that a good lunch?" He asked Harry and the big nod he got in return showed he was going in the right direction. "Now how do we do this?" He whispered, not understanding the muggle convention of cooking.
It took over an hour, but soon both Harry and Sirius had had a plate of crisp pasta coated with a thick cheese sauce. Harry's chair had to be adjusted, placing a few cushions on it to raise him up so that he could see above the table's height. The pasta tasted like heaven for Sirius, having only slops in Azkaban. But after one mouthful he realised that he had a small child in front of him who couldn't eat by himself easily. So Sirius sat there, cutting up the pasta into manageable pieces. Somehow Harry managed to get the food all over the place, the table, the chair, his clothes, as well as his face. But he seemed to be enjoying himself which was Sirius' priority.
Soon they found themselves in the living room. It was probably Sirius's favourite part of the house so far, not that he had much chance to look at all the rooms. It was carperted in a pale blue with large glass doors looking out into the garden. There was also a peach two seater sofa that they sat down on. Harry was soon yawning widely, his eyes drooping. It had been a big day and Sirius couldn't blame him for being tired. Sirius himself was trying to stop himself from napping.
Sirius awoke with a start, a noise waking him from his sleep. He looked over at the window and saw the moon was still high in the sky. He heard a noise again and was soon sitting up in his bed, reaching for a wand that was not there. Cursing to himself he scrambled out of bed, quietly going down the stairs to figure out where the noise was coming from. He didn't want to wake Harry; it had been enough effort to put him down for the night.
Once the two had awoken from their nap they puttered around the house and garden. They played a few games before Sirius had to figure out what to make for dinner. He found some tins of soup that he served up and Harry seemed happy enough to eat anything.
Then came bedtime. If Sirius thought his trust issues were bad, they were nothing compared to Harry's. Once he was out of his bath, in some pyjamas that Sirius found in a drawer in his room, that is when the crying started.
At first Sirius was worried that the little boy was hurt until he started sobbing out: "Don't go!"
"Harry, I'm not going anywhere. It's just bedtime and you need to sleep." Sirius stated, trying to get the little boy to settle.
"No go. No go!"
"I promise you that I will be here when you wake up. And I always keep my promises."
It took a long while for Harry to settle down and go to bed. Eventually the boy was wrapped up tightly under his new duvet. He looked down at the plain white duvet and then up at Harry, "Why don't we go shopping tomorrow? Get some toys and such for your room?" Sirius asked and Harry nodded eagerly.
"Toys?" He quietly asked and Sirius leaned down and kissed him on his forehead.
"Your own toys." He confirmed, before gently moving the covers up a touch higher. "Goodnight pup." He whispered before flicking the lamp off and quietly walked away shutting the door.
But that was a few hours ago and now there could be something in the house. Something that could be a danger to Harry. Slowly, he walked towards the back room, and noticed a man standing there with a tweed suit on and a small black briefcase.
"Remus?" Sirius asked in disbelief. Was he still dreaming? The man turned around and Sirius could hardly believe it. His friend, whom he hadn't seen in three years, was standing in his kitchen. The man in question strode over to Sirius, and wrapped his arms tightly around the thin frame of his former friend.
"I am so sorry." Lupin whispered and Sirius, still trying to shake off the shock, could only wrap his arms back around the man. They eventually let go, both men with tears in their eyes. "I can't even begin..." but Sirius stopped his words with a wave of his hand.
"You couldn't have known."
"I should have!" Remus responded, anger in his voice. "You were my best friend, you still are! I should have known you would have never betrayed Lily and James."
Sirius didn't know what to say so stayed silent. Remus didn't seem to mind, hugging his friend tightly again. "It's great to see you." Sirius then said truthfully.
The two men sat down in the kitchen, Sirius still in shock that his friend was here and Remus excited to speak to his friend again.
"What do you know?" Sirius asked first, knowing that Remus would want details of the craziness that had occurred.
"Dumbledore told me about Peter, about you being released. God Sirius…" Remus trailed off shaking his head. "I should have known. I was the only one who knew about the four of us being animagus.I should have put it together."
"There was no way of knowing. I don't blame you for anything, you know that right?"
"You should! I should have stuck by you."
"Moony." Sirius said patiently. "What's done is done. There is no point going over it again and again when there is no changing it."
"And what of Harry? I wasn't allowed near the boy." Anger bubbled up again in Sirius. God, to know that there were people out there very willinging to take him in and he was just left with a family who hated him. "Is he okay?" Lupin asked, alarmed at the sudden anger on his friend's face.
"He was left with the Dursleys." A shocked gasp left Lupin, "God Moony. They were just willing to let him go to anyone. They didn't want him."
"Where is he now?"
"He's upstairs, asleep."
"He's here?!" A flurry of emotions went over the werewolves face, from shock to excitement. "Really?" He almost whispered.
"Yeah," At the thought of Harry a smile was on Sirius' face. "He looks exactly like James. But he has his mothers eyes."
The two talked quietly for a while, both catching up on what had occurred. Remus was halfway through explaining his trip to Belgium when he stopped suddenly. Alarmed, Sirius turned to see what he was staring at to see a little boy standing halfway down to the stairs.
"Hey Harry." Sirius said softly, getting up from the table and heading towards the boy. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and the little boy ran to his godfather, letting himself be picked up. "This is Remus. He's a friend." Harry stayed silent, hiding his face in his godfather's neck whilst Sirius stroked his hair.
"Hey Harry, it's great to see you." Harry stayed silent, and Sirius and Remus shared a look before they started walking towards the kitchen so that they could all sit down. Harry stayed clinging to his godfather.
"Have you talked about magic?" Remus asked suddenly, Sirius shook his head explaining the only magic that Harry had seen was them apparating.
"Are you going to talk about it? It's a pretty big part of his life."
"Not at the moment it's not. I don't have a wand, I can't do any magic."
"Your wand!" Remus quickly moved towards his bag that lay on the table and pulled out an old black box. If Sirius had something in his hand he would have dropped, quickly making his way over he grabbed the small object and painstakingly slowly opened the lid.
There, laying on white cushion was Sirius' wand. He didn't know whether to cry or laugh.
"How?" Was all he asked as he slowly removed his wand and placed it in his hand. It was like it never left, the same feeling pulsed through like it always did. Sirius could feel the magic running through his bones.
"Dumbledore stated an admin error. It was 'mistakenly' kept with your belongings instead of being snapped."
Sirius couldn't resist, he took the wand and started his first spell in three years. Harry was still sitting on the man's lap and he didn't want to do anything to scare him so he started out small. A little mumble and soon bubbles were flying out. Harry gasped, instinctively reaching out and popping them. Soon Harry was giggling, his hands flying out to pop each bubble as it came, completely forgetting about his previous shyness.
Soon Harry was again yawning, and Sirius decided it was time for him to go back to bed. He waved shyly at Lupin before Sirius carried him up to his room.
"One!" Harry said as he settled on his bed under the covers, "One!" he repeated.
"One?" Sirius questioned, "One what?"
"One maj!" Harry said and Sirius smiled, reaching for his wand in understandment. One more magic trick.
"Okay, one more and then sleep time okay?" Harry nodded, watching intently as Sirius let red sparkles fly from his wand and flying in circles just above the boy. They formed into a dragon, which then turned into a dinosaur before becoming a snake. By the end of it Harry was clapping a bright expression on her face.
"Again?" He asked but Sirius shook his head, bringing the covers up to the little boy's chin.
"Sleep time now okay?" Sirius said and Harry nodded, pouting slightly. "Have you been to the toilet?" Sirius asked and Harry nodded, a blush blooming on his face. "Goodnight buddy." Sirius whispered, seeing the boy's eyes flutter shut as he kissed his forehead, right on the lightning bolt scar.